Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has joined an initiative by representatives of ten other EU Member States on the development of the Trans-European Transport Policy (TEN-T). The letter is addressed to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
"We are fully committed to the objectives and requirements for the modernisation of the existing infrastructure for the transport of passengers and goods by rail. We welcome the inclusion of new high-speed rail links in the so-called TEN-T review, especially in regions where these links have not yet been built and where they will contribute to further improving transport connections," said the letter from the Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia and Spain.
The presidents and prime ministers of the eleven EU countries underline their support for the European Commission's objectives to prepare an action plan for a European high-speed rail network connecting major cities and regions, and also support the conclusions of the reports by Enrico Letta and Mario Draghi, which identify the lack of high-speed rail links and the risk of incomplete cross-border connections between major cities in different countries as a major obstacle to a well-functioning internal market and thus to the competitiveness of the European Union.
In a letter addressed to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, they stress that they consider the financing of high-speed rail links between capitals and major cities across the European Union, as well as the development of transport infrastructure in general, to be one of the priorities of the next multiannual financial framework. "We strongly support a robust, centrally managed Connecting Europe Facility (CEF III) with increased financial ambition to accelerate the development of a full TEN-T network, including the missing high-speed rail links and the completion of major cross-border projects. At the same time, we should maintain synergies in the transport, energy, digital and defence sectors."
According to the Prime Ministers and Presidents, the development of large-scale and cross-border projects requires procedural reforms as well as effective coordination and synchronisation of timetables between the Member States involved to ensure the smooth functioning of the single market. There is also a need to focus on continuously reducing administrative burdens and avoid imposing excessive conditions on the implementation of these projects. According to the Heads of Government, additional conditionality requirements could lead to delays in interconnection and prevent the completion of the TEN-T network within the agreed deadlines.
- Letter in Slovak language (PDF - 148.5 kB)
- Letter (PDF - 280.1 kB)
vlada.gov.sk/ gnews - RoZ
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