http://www.europeanvoice.com
Transport and cost benefits From Juraj Mesik In the recently published interview, Dalia GrybauskaitÃ, commissioner for budget, has expressed concern about the proposal of six member states to freeze EU expenditure for 2007-13. Freezing the budget would lead to a need to save on some expenditure. Transport networks were mentioned in this context. Is there a potential for significant savings from Transeuropean Networks-Transport (TEN-T) without damaging Europeâs development? The answer is simple: absolutely yes. Many European citizens and politicians may be surprised to learn that the so-called TINA (Transportation Infrastructure Needs Assessment, done for new member states in 1990s) and TEN-T were approved by EU authorities without any standard cost benefit analysis. This is an extremely costly systemic failure. Construction of motorways was approved in routes and territories where it was economically totally unjustifiable. Letâs take my country Slovakia as an example: in this country of less than 50,000 sq km the scale of such dubious motorway investments is â2-3 billion. That amount could be saved should the TINA and TEN-T be re-evaluated and more effective and cheaper routes for motorways or expressways chosen. Just one example: a motorway with many bridges and two tunnels costing hundreds of million euro is to be built on the Slovak-Polish border-crossing, parallel to a road that was in 2000 used by 865 cars per day. No one seems to care that the largest border crossing on the Polish-Czech border where another motorway is being built is just 30 km west and the largest Slovak-Polish border crossing with more traffic is 70 km east. This absurdity is happening mainly because it is âsomeone elseâ (western European taxpayers) who pay the bill. A serious debate about the 2007-13 budget should make sure that TINA and TEN-T are exposed to rigorous cost-benefit analysis. Otherwise we will observe not use, but abuse of EU funds. Juraj Mesik Ekopolis Foundation, Slovakia ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Give underprivileged students the materials they need to learn. Bring education to life by funding a specific classroom project. http://us.click.yahoo.com/FHLuJD/_WnJAA/cUmLAA/RR.olB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> EuroAtlantic Club: http://www.europe.org.ro/euroatlantic_club/ *** Birou de traduceri autorizate. Oana Gheorghiu - tel/fax: 252.8681 / [EMAIL PROTECTED] Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/romania_eu_list/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
