BAKGRUNN (fra kommisjonsbeslutningen)

(1) European Transport Corridors as instruments to facilitate the coordinated implementation of the core and extended core network are provided for in Chapter V of Regulation (EU) 2024/1679 and listed in Article 11(1) of that Regulation.

(2) Pursuant to Article 52 of Regulation (EU) 2024/1679, European Coordinators are designated to facilitate the coordinated implementation of the European Transport Corridors, European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS) and European Maritime Space (EMS).

(3) The role of European Coordinators is of major importance for the development of, and cooperation along, the European Transport Corridors.

(4) In order to ensure the implementation of the European Transport Corridors, the European Coordinators, in agreement with the Member State concerned, should facilitate discussions aimed at the completion of Corridors and identify the sources of financing, both private and public, for complex cross-border projects, missing links and bottleneck sections, as well as for interoperability and inter-modality issues.

(5) In order to ensure the implementation of the horizontal priorities, the European Coordinators for ERTMS and EMS should, in dialogue with Member States concerned develop a coordinated approach for the development of horizontal priorities with a particular focus on close interaction with the European Transport Corridors as well as core and extended core networks.

(6) In order to ensure the impartiality and independence of the European Coordinator, the latter should not be a national of a Member State concerned by the European Transport Corridor assigned to him or her.

(7) In order to develop their tasks, the European Coordinators should be granted a monthly flat-rate allowance to cover the secretarial expenses that cannot be delivered directly by the Commission services and be reimbursed for mission expenses in accordance with the Commission rules.

(8) It is appropriate to designate 9 European Coordinators, one for each European Transport Corridor, one for ERTMS, one for EMS, except for the Baltic Sea – Black Sea – Aegean Sea Corridor, because no agreement was found by Member States in the context of consultation on the appropriate candidate and for the Rhine-Danube Corridor, because the proposed Coordinator passed away on 25 July 2024. Coordinators for these two European Transport Corridors should be designated at a later stage.

(9) In accordance with Article 52(1) of Regulation (EU) 2024/1679, Member States, third countries, which are part of the European Transport Corridors and of the horizontal priorities, the European Parliament and the Council were consulted. The Member States concerned have expressed their agreement to the designation of the European Coordinators, the European Parliament issued the positive opinion in April 2024 and the Council, in July 2024.

(10) The posts of Coordinators are currently vacant, it is therefore urgent to appoint them. For this reason, the decision should enter into force on the day following its publication,