CATF Consultation for the Revision of the European Commission’s TEN-T Regulation

As part of its Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy, the European Commission will propose a revision of the guidelines for the Trans-European transport network (TEN-T). TEN-T aims to develop a European network of transport infrastructure, including roads, railways, roads, inland waterways, ports, and airports. By developing this transport infrastructure, the EU aims to ensure easy transport across the whole Single Market and to strengthen economic and territorial cohesion in the EU.

With the Green Deal and its ambitious climate goals, the EU needs to adapt the TEN-T Regulation to ensure that the transport sector, currently representing almost a quarter of Europe’s greenhouse gas emissions, can transition to zero-emissions mobility.

To reducing the emissions of transport activities and support a fast uptake of zero- and low-carbon options, CATF has several suggestions for the revision of TEN-T:

• The Regulation should ensure that the infrastructure needed for hydrogen and hydrogen-based fuels is available for the different transport modes. To achieve the decarbonisation of European transport, both electrification and low and zero carbon fuels (such as hydrogen and ammonia) will play a key role. Currently, a lack of recharging infrastructure and refuelling stations are among the key factors hindering the growth of alternative fuels vehicles market share. The Commission should therefore seize the opportunity of the TEN-T revision to ensure that the necessary infrastructure is available. Therefore, CATF supports the introduction of binding requirements and targets for each Member States on recharging and refuelling infrastructure for zero and low emission vehicles and vessels for all transport modes.
• The low-and zero- carbon fuels should be deployed on both the core and comprehensive networks. TEN-T is indeed divided between core networks, which include the most important connections and should be completed by 2030, and comprehensive networks, which cover all European regions and should be completed by 2050. To decarbonise the transport sector, zero- and low-carbon infrastructure will be needed across both of these networks.
• The Commission should ensure coherence with other relevant legislations. Several pieces of legislation currently under revision will directly impact European transport and its decarbonisation. Coherence and synergies will be needed between TEN-T and TEN-E, the Directive on deployment of alternative fuels infrastructure (AFID), and FuelEU Maritime.

You can see CATF full contribution to the Commission consultation here: