Investionen in der Infrastruktur verlangt 20/06/16

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The Bruegel Institute published a blog-post with the above title in October 20141.  Since then a lot has happened to deliver on this idea:

  • Two, several-times oversubscribed CEF Transport2 calls were completed, whereby most of CEF Transport funds available until 2020 were allocated to projects proposed by Member State governments.
  • The European Fund for Strategic Investment (EFSI)3 was constructed - partially using CEF Transport money - under the initiative of Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker to act as a risk mitigation vehicle to support strategic investments within the European Union, including - among others - into the field of transport.  €315 billion worth of investments are foreseen to be catalysed by this programme, also to fulfil the key Bruegel concept of:

"Europe needs mechanisms for carrying out self-financing infrastructure projects outside existing budget caps"

The first report of EFSI Transport projects was issued in March 20164. A year before this report several European transport associations warned5 that transferring CEF Transport funds to EFSI would divert to road vital resources predominantly designated to more sustainable modes of transport (rail, IWW, SSS).  29 transport associations – including UIRR – issued a call to ensure that investment funding continues to be made available to strategic investments needed by Europe's sustainable modes6.

Alternatively, Member States of the European Union should consider making the legal changes needed to enable sustainable modes, and rail in particular, to qualify for genuine private capital investments - like it is already possible within the road sector.  Whereas concession highway construction, funded entirely by private investors (outside public budget caps), is possible even if these highways are part of the TEN-T network, yet only exceptional cases may be mentioned for similar financing schemes for railway investments.  Considering  that vast portions of Europe's rail network was constructed on private initiative and using private capital in the 19th Century, the same should be made possible again today, in the 21st.

The Bruegel Institute published a blog-post with the above title in October 20141. Since then a lot has happened to deliver on this idea:

- Two, several-times oversubscribed CEF Transport2 calls were completed, whereby most of CEF Transport funds available until 2020 were allocated to projects proposed by Member State governments.

- The European Fund for Strategic Investment (EFSI)3 was constructed - partially using CEF Transport money - under the initiative of Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker to act as a risk mitigation vehicle to support strategic investments within the European Union, including - among others - into the field of transport. €315 billion worth of investments are foreseen to be catalysed by this programme, also to fulfil the key Bruegel concept of:

"Europe needs mechanisms for carrying out self-financing infrastructure projects outside existing budget caps"

The first report of EFSI Transport projects was issued in March 20164. A year before this report several European transport associations warned5 that transferring CEF Transport funds to EFSI would divert to road vital resources predominantly designated to more sustainable modes of transport (rail, IWW, SSS). 29 transport associations – including UIRR – issued a call to ensure that investment funding continues to be made available to strategic investments needed by Europe's sustainable modes6.

Alternatively, Member States of the European Union should consider making the legal changes needed to enable sustainable modes, and rail in particular, to qualify for genuine private capital investments - like it is already possible within the road sector. Whereas concession highway construction, funded entirely by private investors (outside public budget caps), is possible even if these highways are part of the TEN-T network, yet only exceptional cases may be mentioned for similar financing schemes for railway investments. Considering that vast portions of Europe's rail network was constructed on private initiative and using private capital in the 19th Century, the same should be made possible again today, in the 21st.
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