18 December 2023
On the 18th of December 2023, the Spanish Presidency, on behalf of the Council of the Transport Minsters, and the European Parliament have reached a provisional agreement regarding the revised regulation on the guidelines for the development of the TEN-T network.
The provisional agreement sets clear deadlines for the completion of the 3-layer TEN-T network: the core network should be completed by 2030, the newly added extended core network by 2040 and the comprehensive network by 2050.
Overall, FEPORT believes that the provisional agreement on TEN-T is a positive step towards the creation of a more sustainable and efficient European transport network.
In particular, FEPORT welcomes the inclusion of “sustainable alternative fuels infrastructure” in the definition of basic port infrastructure as well as the flexible approach regarding the introduction of refuelling and recharging facilities for heavy-duty vehicles equipped inside the terminal or within the 3 km distance from the terminal. The draft agreement also emphasises the consolidation, maintenance and upgrading of current infrastructure, recognising the importance of optimising existing facilities in terms of safety, security, efficiency of the transport system and transport operations.
As far as rail is concerned, FEPORT advocates an equal emphasis on rail freight transport and passenger rail transport. In this context, the amendments regarding train path allocation for goods trains, speed requirements and operating standards for rail freight corridors demonstrate an ongoing commitment to improving rail infrastructure, a critical component in ensuring efficient freight transport.
However, we believe that some concerns persist. For instance, the draft agreement maintains reference to alternative fuels infrastructure but removes explicit reference to AFIR. The omission of this explicit reference may introduce ambiguity, possibly hindering a unified approach.
In the context of freight transport, addressing local bottlenecks and integrating port terminals into the governance bodies of core network corridors is of crucial importance. FEPORT members strongly believe in the added value of a multimodal connectivity of EU ports, both for businesses and communities. To achieve this, it is crucial to focus on reducing local bottlenecks to increase the share of multimodal transport solutions. Moreover, physical connectivity will be as essential as the digital one since in ports all kind of actors are interdependent, and many operations converge.