TEN-T network will not make 2030 deadline, says EU Court of Auditors
The European Court of Auditors concludes that the TEN-T network will not be complete by 2030, the deadline which has been set for the European core transport network. What is more, the delays in the construction and putting into operation of these megaprojects put at risk the effective functioning of five out of nine TEN-T corridors, the institution has found.
The warning that the deadline could not possibly be made has been issued by other parties before, but it is the first time this conclusion is drawn by an EU body. The European Court of Auditors (ECA) audited the Commission’s management of eight cross-border transport megaprojects in thirteen Member States. “We found that the core network is unlikely to be operational by 2030, as was planned in 2013” it said.
Transport Flagship Infrastructures
The megaprojects, also called Transport Flagship Infrastructures (TFIs), are the key missing links for connecting national networks to create seamless European transport corridors. The total estimated cost of the selected TFIs was 54.0 billion euros, of which the EU has paid 3.4 billion euros to date.
“We found examples of poor planning and inefficient implementation. While the Commission’s oversight of the timely completion of the network has weaknesses and is distant, the Commission has a tool that can be built upon to improve performance.” The ECA has made a number of recommendations to support the long-term planning, management and supervision of these multi-billion infrastructure investments.
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