EC sees TEN-T projects’ completion in due time the Transport Master Plan priority, says commissioner Cretu

Romania’s General Transport Master Plan number 1 priority is the timely completion of projects within the main Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) and, secondly, the identification of the most important projects for the extended TEN-T which can also benefit from financially support from the EC, said on Tuesday the European commissioner for Regional Policy Corina Cretu.

Thus, after a working meeting with Transports Minister Ioan Rus, Cretu added, according to Agerpres, that the European Commission is very interested in Romania’s General Transport Master Plan, as it is a strategic document and represents a pre-condition for accessing the European Union funds for large transport projects in the period 2014 — 2020. “(…) Before taking the road, any road, it is good to have a roadmap and to be determined about the path we want to embark on. This roadmap, this Master Plan, does not only refer to the current funding period, only to the following seven years, but it refers to Romania’s economic development in the next 15 — 20 years,” the commissioner said.

The two officials talked about the progress Romania registered in drawing up the Master Plan, the expectations of the European Commission concerning its content and the steps that the authorities of Bucharest still have to make for its completion.

“Certainly, from our point of view, there are still topics that need clarifying, one of these are extremely important — I have talked about them with Mr. Minister — for instance, establishing the criteria according to which the projects will be selected by priority order, the strategic assessment of the impact on the environment and a series of technical issues related to the maritime transport and the rail transport. In the period 2014 — 2020, the Commission will contribute with EUR 6.8 billion to the implementing of this Transport Master Plan,” the European official added.

Staff