This paper discusses various aspects of the implementation of the Transport Trans-European Network (T-TEN) programme of the EU. It considers the implementation and progress of the 14 T-TEN projects that were given priority, and assesses some national and regional impacts of that implementation. At first, 26 important European transport infrastructure projects were identified; then this list was extended to 34 projects. In June 1994, 11 of these projects were designated as priority projects to be completed by 2010, and three more had been added by December 1994. The criterion for 'priority' seems to have been the method of financing the project and the completeness of its financing arrangements. The need for public-private partnerships become evident after a decline in the amount of public money becoming available for such projects. Nevertheless, the implementation of TEN-T projects has progressed. The national and regional impacts of their construction must be assessed carefully, because of the realisation of secondary projects, in the same territories, which interact with them. The paper discusses a specific example, the impact of the Channel Tunnel project on transport in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region in North East France and the county of Kent in South East England.
Samenvatting