The European ports fear a cut of the destined budget EU to transport infrastructures



In sight of the decision that tomorrow and the day after tomorrow the heads of state and of government of the European Union will have to assume on the budget EU for period 2014-2020 and on pluriennale picture financial (MFF), the European Sea Ports Organisation (ESPO) has renewed the exhortation to the European leaders so that they safeguard the destined budget to transport infrastructures.

Specifying that the marine ports and the inland port European are very conscious of the constraints budgetary with which the European governments must be confronted, the association of the ports EU has sped up the representatives of the European States not to carve total the communitarian resources for 31,7 billion euros previewed for the investments in European infrastructures of transport in the within of the picture of common financing Connecting Europe Facility (CEF).

Of the same start the European Federation of Inland Ports (EFIP): "the political new for the Trans-European Transport Network (TRIES) - it has found Isabelle Ryckbost, director of the association of the European internal ports - is the result of beyond two years of negotiations with all the Member States and the interested parts. The proposal budgetary for TRIES to them is based on a concrete plan: not there are twenty ways in order to satisfy in sustainable way and efficient the increasing asks of transport and connection between the nations, the modalities and the knots of transport. It would be a sin if the European leaders cut to this budget and this plan. If - he has observed Ryckbost - the governments must manage a "plan B" and look for other ways, more difficult and probably expensive, in order to satisfy the objectives of Europe in terms of increase, sustainability and occupation".

"Currently - it has found the general secretary of the ESPO, Patrick Verhoeven - the battle on the budget seems to concern on the transport and the other policies as those for the cohesion and agriculture. We must but bear in mind that the transport projects for infrastructure are not only to the service of the field of the transports and its stakeholders. An European net of transport without interruption - it has evidenced Verhoeven - in the first instance strengthens the internal cohesion of the EU and facilitates many other fields, included agriculture. The marine ports are for example the main doors for the exports of the agricultural produced ones of the EU. I use of the financings EU in order to integrate the ports in IT TRY - it has concluded general secretary of the ESPO - would go therefore also for the benefit of the policies for the cohesion and agriculture".

Also the harbour community of Rotterdam is in alarm, being worried a cut of the destined communitarian budget to transport infrastructures that could be translate in a reduction of deep European the available ones for infrastructure that they connect the Dutch port with the markets, and have sped up the Dutch government to make pressures in center EU so that deep the communitarian ones are destined to the investments.

Hans Smits, president of the Harbour Authority of Rotterdam, and Wim van Sluis, president of Deltalinqs, the association that represents the enterprises of the field of the logistics and the industry of the port and the industrial area of Rotterdam, have published an open letter revolt to the government of Amsterdam in which they speed up the executive to contrive to obtain the maximum economic contribution of the European Union for the realization of infrastructures of connection with the hinterland of the Dutch port.

According to Deltalinqs and the Port of Rotterdam Authority, a modernization of the budget of the EU is in fact necessary put into effect reducing the destined resources to agriculture and the deep ones of cohesion in favour of the investments. The rationalization of the transboundary connections between the port of Rotterdam and the European outback, as for example with a third railway line with Germany - Sluis and Smits have explained van - it is of vital importance for the port of Rotterdam, as it would allow with the port of call to maintain and to consolidate own logistic role of hub leader for the European economy. Projects in the port of Rotterdam and the remainder of Holland, as for example the locks in the fluvial Zeeland and connections with Belgium and France - they have emphasized - must be able to benefit of European financings.

Smits and van Sluis has remembered that the EU commission has proposed to for infrastructure increase the equipment of the budget of transport, for infrastructure energetic and for telecommunications to financial 50 billion euros and to institute in case of necessity appropriate the new instrument Connecting Europe Facility. The objective is to realize in Europe an integrated net of street and railway infrastructures, the navigation channels, the airports, the ports and the oil pipe-lines and gas pipelines and to eliminate the necks of bottle from the systems of transport of the goods, the passengers and the energy. The net TRIES - they have concluded Smits and van Sluis - must become a truth.