EU grants €170 million to vital infrastructure projects across Europe

The grants, which stem from the 2010 TEN-T annual and multi-annual calls published on 19 May, will help Member States to build missing transport links, remove bottlenecks and increase the safety and security of transport, with a special focus on making transport more sustainable, promoting the interconnection of different transport modes, accelerating and facilitating the implementation of projects and providing support for publicprivate partnerships.

Commission Vice-President Siim Kallas, responsible for transport, said: "I am delighted to be signing the decision today that gives the green light to €170 million of the TEN-T budget to co-finance key infrastructure projects of European added value. These include projects in the fields of Motorways of the Sea and River Information Services, under the multi-annual programme, and projects under the annual programme helping us to prepare for future transport
priorities:  notably making transport greener, connecting Europe's east and west, and providing support to public-private partnerships."

Over the course of 2010, 51 projects involving 24 Member States were selected to receive  funding as part of three separate calls. All projects were evaluated on the basis of their relevance to TEN-T priorities and policy objectives: their maturity, their impact (particularly socio-economic and environmental) and their quality in terms of completeness, clarity, soundness and coherence. The awarded funding helps to attract substantial public and private financing, with the leverage effect being almost five times the level of EU assistance (see MEMO/11/101).

The 2010 multi-annual work programme (€112.4 million in total funding) aimed to finance the highest priorities of the TEN-T network, and focused on three fields:

• Motorways of the Sea (MoS ), providing viable alternatives for congested roads by shifting freight to sea routes eight projects selected, €84.9 million in funding.
• River Information Services (RIS), involving traffic management infrastructure on the inland waterway network five projects selected, €7.1million in funding.
• Air traffic management systems and functional airspace blocks (ATM/FABs) four projects selected, €20.5 million in funding, which was allocated in a separate call published on 16 February.

The 2010 annual work programme (€78.2 million in total funding) complements the efforts developed under the multi-annual work programme with a view to better utilise scarce EU funds and maximise the impact in priority areas. It is focused on three priorities:

• Priority 1: Promoting the development of an integrated and environmentally friendly transport system as well as studies for the preparation of deployment projects contributing to the addressing of climate change 13 projects selected, €32.1 million in funding.
• Priority 2: Accelerating/facilitating the implementation of TEN-T projects (studies for all modes, works for mature projects, notably in the rail and inland waterways sectors), as well as projects supporting the Single European Sky policy 18 projects selected,€41.1 million in funding.
• Priority 3: Studies to support Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) - three projects selected, €4.9 million in funding.

The projects will be managed by the TEN-T Executive Agency, under the auspices of the Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport of the European Commission.

A full list of the selected proposals is in MEMO/11/101
MEMO/11/XX.

For more information:
http://ec.europa.eu/tentea or e-mail: TENT-AGENCY@ec.europa.eu

Multi-Annual programme: Air traffic management systems - Functional airspace blocks (ATM/FABs)

(maximum budget: €20 million)
List of abbreviations:

• MAP = Multi-Annual Programme
• ATM/FAB = Air Traffic Management/Functional Airspace Blocks
• * = project involving more than one Member State
• (€) = recommended
• TEN-T funding

AUSTRIA

• FAB CE implementation of static area of responsibility scenario* (MAP ATM/FAB - €1,447,740)

BELGIUM

• Air Traffic Management Systems - Functional Airspace Block Europe Central (FABEC) (MAP ATM/FAB - €13,781,475)

CZECH REPUBLIC    

• FAB CE implementation of static area of responsibility scenario* (MAP ATM/FAB - €1,447,740)

DENMARK    

• North European Functional Airspace Block (NEFAB) development - preparation for implementation* (MAP ATM/FAB - €4,094,370)

ESTONIA    

• North European Functional Airspace Block (NEFAB) development - preparation for implementation* (MAP ATM/FAB - €4,094,370)

FINLAND    

• North European Functional Airspace Block (NEFAB) development - preparation for implementation* (MAP ATM/FAB - €4,094,370)

HUNGARY 

• FAB CE implementation of static area of responsibility scenario* (MAP ATM/FAB - €1,447,740)

IRELAND    

• UK-Ireland FAB development of high level sectors* (MAP ATM/FAB - €1,154,378)

LATVIA    

• North European Functional Airspace Block (NEFAB) development - preparation for implementation* (MAP ATM/FAB - €4,094,370)

SLOVAKIA    

• FAB CE implementation of static area of responsibility scenario* (MAP ATM/FAB - €1,447,740)

SLOVENIA     

• FAB CE implementation of static area of responsibility scenario* (MAP ATM/FAB - €1,447,740)

SWEDEN    

• North European Functional Airspace Block (NEFAB) development - preparation for implementation* (MAP ATM/FAB - €4,094,370)

UNITED KINGDOM    

• UK-Ireland FAB development of high level sectors* (MAP ATM/FAB €1,154,378)