The decision was criticised by MEPs on the European Parliament’s transport committee. At last month’s meeting of the committee, they told the Austrian transport minister Hubert Gorbach they were concerned that the budget reductions would delay the TENs projects. One said the transport TENs were “the most powerful factor in European integration after the euro” and their completion was “vital to economic growth”.

But T&E policy officer Markus Liechti said: “Claims are being made for the TENs that don’t stand up to close analysis, and they could in some cases prove to be a waste of money. Ironically, it is only when money has been cut from the TENs budget that a re-think enters the agenda.

“This budget shortfall should be used as a chance to assess which projects really will deliver significant benefits and which are prestige projects which will create as many problems as they solve.”

The Commission proposed a budget of €20.35 billion for “completing” the transport TENs between 2007 and 2013, nearly five times more than the €4.17bn budgeted for 2000-06. Estimates put the total needed for the 2007-13 projects at €140bn, which still leaves the vast majority to come from non-EU sources.

This news story is taken from the February 2006 edition of T&E Bulletin.