Norway in the EU’s corridor from Scandinavia to the Mediterranean – Energy and Climate
On Sunday evening, Transport Minister Jon-Ivar Nygård met his Nordic friends for an informal meeting before the EU transport ministers’ meeting. This is one of the channels the Norwegian Minister of State has into the EU.
On Monday morning, the EU’s transport ministers adopted their positions on the expansion of the European transport network (TENT). The Council must now negotiate with the European Parliament on the final design of the large transport package. The goal is to make the EU’s transport system greener and more user-friendly.
The Czech chairmanship did not hide that it was very satisfied that this package is now ready from the Council of Ministers.
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Czech transport minister Martin Kupka said at the press conference that a good transport network is crucial for climate and economy.
– This does not just apply to the residents, who must be able to move quickly and be able to rely on the transport service. It also includes the business world, which must be developed and make use of the opportunities that exist in the internal market, which he to.
The EU’s transport ministers are an important part of the TEN-T project, which ensures that the railway becomes more competitive as a form of transport.
Oslo to Palermo
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Transport Minister Jon-Ivar Nygård was able to state that Oslo and Norway are included in the Scanmed corridor. This has also been taken up by the Swedes.
Scanmed must create seamless transport solutions for road and rail from Oslo–Stockholm in the north, via Copenhagen, Hamburg and Innsbruck down to Palermo in Sicily.
This is one of several large transport networks that will better tie Europe together.
In addition, the transport ministers decided to link Ukraine and Moldova more closely to the EU’s transport network.
– The priorities we see here are well within the national transport plan, says Nygård to Energy and Climate.
30 year plan
TEN-T must better connect Europe, make transport more sustainable, remove bottlenecks and link roads and rail.
This is a gigantic project which must be developed in phases. The first phase must be completed in 2030, then 2040 and in 2050 the entire new network must be ready.
In 2050, traffic in the EU must be emission-free if the Union is to achieve the goal of climate neutrality.
Not everything is on track
TEN-T has a number of requirements for projects. One is that the railway must have a minimum speed of 160 km/h. On the Oslo–Gothenburg train line, there may be problems in reaching the deadline of being able to drive at 160 km/h by 2030.
Conversely, he is optimistic when it comes to the requirement of 160 km/h as a minimum speed on other sections which are now being modernised.
