Scandinavian-Mediterranean Corridor

CEF support to Scandinavian-Mediterranean Corridor - May 2020

CEF support to Scandinavian-Mediterranean Corridor - April 2018

CEF Transport projects by country

Overview

The Scandinavian-Mediterranean Corridor represents a crucial north-south axis for the European economy. The corridor stretches from Finland and Sweden in the North, to the island of Malta in the South, taking in Denmark, Northern, Central and Southern Germany, the industrial heartlands of Northern Italy and the southern Italian ports. The most significant projects on the corridor are the Fehmarnbelt Fixed Link and Brenner Base tunnel, including their access routes. This north-south corridor will integrate Priority Projects 1, 11, 12 and 20, ERTMS Corridor B and the Scandinavian-Mediterranean Rail Freight Corridor.

Main bottlenecks and missing links

The cross-border alpine connection between Munich and Verona represents a major bottleneck on the corridor and will be alleviated by the construction of the Brenner Base Rail Tunnel, when it becomes operational in 2026. The removal of this bottleneck is crucial for the realisation of the entire corridor, linking Northern and Southern Europe. Together with the Gotthard-Monte Ceneri axis in Switzerland and the Lyon-Turin rail connection, the Brenner corridor will bind together a complex network of high-capacity rail links. Together these networks will help to achieve the environmental objectives set by the EU and ensure the modal shift from road to rail; necessary for the future of the ecologically sensitive alpine region. The Fehmarnbelt Fixed Link crossing is a key component in the main north-south route between Central Europe and the Nordic countries. This cross-border bottleneck will be removed by the construction of the new immersed rail/road tunnel under the 18 km wide, Fehmarn Strait, between Rødby in Denmark and Puttgarden in Germany. Following the completion of the project in 2028, the travel time between Copenhagen and Hamburg will be reduced by approximately one hour, and for rail freight transport, by approximately two hours.

Success stories

The Øresund Bridge is a combined two track rail and four lane road bridge and tunnel across the Øresund Strait between Sweden and Denmark. It is the longest combined road and rail bridge in Europe. Works started in 1995 and the link was opened to traffic on 1 July 2000, with a project cost of EUR 2.7 billion. The Milano-Roma-Napoli high-speed line entered into full operation with the completion of the section between Bologna and Firenze at the end of 2009. Travel times between Milano and Roma have since been reduced from 5 hrs to 2 hrs 45 mins. This high-speed section now takes 60 % of the total passenger traffic flow between the two cities. The passenger volume between Milan and Napoli has increased by approximately 25 %. In 2010, almost 20 million passengers used this line.

CEF: Pre-identified projects

European Coordinator for the TEN-T Scandinavian-Mediterranean Corridor, Mr Pat Cox

Mr Pat Cox was born on 28 November 1952, in Dublin, Ireland. The former President of the European Parliament was appointed European Coordinator for the TEN-T Scandinavian-Mediterranean Corridor on 12 March 2014. Before, from 8 June 2010, he was the European Coordinator for the TEN-T Priority Project N° 1 Berlin-Palermo.  

Mr Cox holds National Honours bestowed by the Presidents of Austria, Bulgaria, Estonia, France, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania; and Honorary Doctorates from Trinity College Dublin, the National University of Ireland, the University of Limerick, the Open University and the American College Dublin. In 2004 he was awarded the International Charlemagne Prize for his achievements with regard to the enlargement of the European Union and for his work in promoting greater EU democratisation.

Previous assignments

2012-2015: Member of European Parliament special mission to Ukraine with Aleksander Kwaśniewski, former President of Poland, monitoring issues of selective justice

2014: Chairman of the Board, Limerick City of Culture

2010-2014: European Coordinator for TEN-T Priority Project No.1 – the railway axis Berlin-Verona/Milan-Bologna-Naples-Messina-Palermo

2010-2014: President of the Former Members Association, European Parliament

2005-2011: President of the European Movement International

2002-2004: President of the European Parliament

1998-2002: President of the ELDR Group in the European Parliament

1992-1994: Member of Dáil Éireann, Irish Parliament

1989-2004: Member of the European Parliament

1982-1986: Television broadcaster

1974-1982: Economist

Current tasks

Leader of the European Parliament's needs assessment mission to the Ukrainian parliament (since 2016)

President, Alliance Française, Dublin

Chairman Advisory Board MBS International Public Policy and Diplomacy, University College Cork

Vice President of the European Movement Ireland

Member of the Board of Trustees, Friends of Europe, Brussels

Member of the Board of Trustees, Edmund Rice Schools Trust, Dublin

Member of the Board, Third Age Foundation, Dublin/Meath

Patron of the Blue Box Creative Learning Centre, Limerick

Patron the Federation for Victim Assistance, Ireland

Member of the Supervisory Board of Michelin, France

Member European Advisory Council Liberty Global, Netherlands

President of the Jean Monnet Foundation for Europe

BBT-SE supervisory board meeting, online, 20 December 2022

The coordinator participated to the supervisory board meeting of the BBT-SE in his observer role. He in particular gave account of recent developments at EU level of relevance to the project.

Eastern Norway County Network - cross-border freight conference, 7 December 2022

The coordinator provided a video message to session I of the conference: “European transport 2030, greener and smarter?”. He in particular highlighted key features of the proposal for a revised TEN-T Regulation and outlined the analysis of the 5^th ScanMed workplan as regards cross-border connections in Scandinavia.

Brenner Railway Action Group Conference “Digitalising Europe’s Railways“, Brussels, 17 November 2022

The coordinator gave a keynote address highlighting the digitalisation and innovation elements contained in the Commission’s proposal for a revised TEN-T regulation and their importance for improving the operation, management, accessibility, interoperability, multimodality and efficiency of the network. He furthermore explained that the Brenner corridor within the ScanMed corridor would be an ideal testbed for new solutions in the field of digitalisation be it for passenger or freight railway transport.

Meeting BBT-SE staff, Innsbruck, 9 November 2022

The coordinator had the opportunity to meet and exchange with key personnel of the BBT-SE on the state of play of the tunnelling works and the projected way forward. Furthermore, he had the chance to visit the Sill Gorge construction site (LOT 21) close to Innsbruck.

Nordic Transport Council, Fredrikstad, 07-08 November 2022

The coordinator participated to the Nordic Transport Ministerial Meeting with the transport ministers of Norway, Sweden, Finland and Iceland. The ministers and the coordinator debated security policy & social issues, transport corridors, sustainable transport and Nordic cooperation.

On the way to the meeting venue the delegation had the chance to visit the Blix tunnel which is part of the Follobanen project between Oslo and Ski on the ScanMed corridor. Construction works have been completed, testing is ongoing, and the tunnel will be put in operation on 11 December 2022.

Furthermore the delegation visited the Sea Drone project in the TEN-T comprehensive port of Moss.

Coordinators hearing at the European Parliament TRAN committee, Brussels, 26 October 2022

During his hearing the coordinator had the chance to present the MEPs with the key findings from his 5th workplan highlighting especially the number of completed and expected to be completed projects and the state of advancement with regard to the implementation of the Key Performance Indicators.

In view of the upcoming visit of several MEPs to the Brenner region the coordinator put an emphasize on the situation at and around the Brenner Base tunnel.

BBT-SE supervisory board meeting, online, 17 October 2022

The coordinator participated to the supervisory board meeting of the BBT-SE in his observer role. He in particular gave account of recent developments at EU level of relevance to the project.

Seminar of the European Coordinators, Ghent, 12-13 October 2022

The coordinator participated to a seminar with his fellow coordinators. They received and update on the state of play on the negotiations concerning the TEN-T Revision, and exchanged their views, including on the cooperation with third countries.

The coordinators were also presented with the latest data on the implementation of the CEF II programme, its upcoming calls and work programme. They discussed inflation and the increase of costs of raw materials and their potential impact on the TEN-T projects.

Furthermore, the coordinators had the opportunity to visit the port of Ghent with a presentation of the ports strategic plan “Connect 2025”.

EU week of cities and regions intervention for the launch of the ScanMed observatory, 12 October 2022

The coordinator provided a video message to this event welcoming the creation of the ScanMed observatory as a great initiative that shows the importance of cities when it comes to addressing climate change and the greening of our societies and industries. He furthermore highlighted the priorities along the Scan-Med corridor and explained its ways of working. Finally, he gave some insights into the future role of urban nodes foreseen in the Commission’s proposal for a revised TEN-T Regulation.

CNC and RFC ScanMed Meeting, Brussels, 28 September 2022

The meeting was organised to inform the coordinator about the outcomes of the meeting of the “Fehmarn Belt Forum” and to agree on next steps to be taken in order to get the Forum operational. Furthermore, participants discussed the future cooperation between the CNC and the RFC ScanMed as foreseen in the Commission’s proposal for a revised TEN-T Regulation.

Bothnian CorridorMeeting, Brussels, 28 September 2022

The coordinator participated to a roundtable discussion organised by the Bothnian Corridor on the importance of completing the TEN-T especially in the northern parts of Europe and in view of climate neutrality by 2050.

17th Meeting of the Scandinavian-Mediterranean Corridor Forum, Brussels, 28 September 2022

During the meeting the coordinator presented his activities of the last 10 months and gave participants a detailed insight into the final version of the 5^th workplan that had been approved by ministers over summer. Furthermore, participants were presented with the state of play of the corridor studies, got an insight into the amended proposal for the revision of the TEN-T Regulation published in July and got an update on the CEF 2021 calls results as well as on the CEF 2022 Military Mobility and AFIF calls.

Finally, participants received reports from ongoing or completed projects along the corridor:

• Westlänken/Westlink project, Sweden
• Projects in the Port Authority System of the Western Sicilian Sea (Palermo)
• Military Mobility project, A2 motorway – Friddizza viaduct, Italy

The Ground-breaking ceremony at BBT Lot Sill Gorge – Pfons, Innsbruck, 7 July 2022

The coordinator had the chance to attend the celebrations for the ground-breaking one of the largest construction lots for the Brenner Base Tunnel (14.3 km long) and one of last major construction sites to be launched in Austria.

Connecting Europe Days in, Lyon, 28-30 June 2022

During the event the coordinator had numerous on the spot meetings with stakeholders from all along the ScanMed corridor.

During the ScanMed corridor meeting that was organised as part of the Connecting Europe days the coordinator presented key elements of his 5^th workplan. Moreover participants received a presentation on the future of TEN-T policy, got an update on past and future CEF calls and gained insights in the work of the ScanMed Rail Freight Corridor. Finally, three projects from the corridor presented their activities:

• The "One Hour Train" Helsinki - Turku
• The C-Roads Italy project
• Scandria®Alliance - Clean Fuel Deployment on the corridor study

The coordinator also participated to the interinstitutional session with the EU transport ministers and the ministers from Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia discussing the implications of the war on TEN-T.

The coordinator then spoke at plenary session “Towards a greener and more resilient transport network across Europe” and exchanged with his fellow coordinators during their coordinator’s seminar.

Meeting Danish Transport Minister Ms Trine Bramsen, Copenhagen, 14 June 2022

In his discussions with the minister, the coordinator got an update on some of the major infrastructure projects on the TEN-T network in Denmark and addressed the revision of the TEN-T regulation as well as general developments along the Scan-Med Corridor.

Meeting with Femern A/S and RFC ScanMed, Copenhagen, 14 June 2022

During the meeting with Femern A/S the coordinator got an in-depth update on the state of play of the Femern project and discussed the project and the potential challenges from a user/ operational perspective. The RFC ScanMed highlighted that customers and users of the future tunnel will need to know soon how the upcoming situation with regards to e.g. technical and operational conditions will look like in order to make their investment decisions. The parties agreed to intensify the dialogue on these topics.

Conference: Cross-border infrastructure for regional development, Helsingborg, 13 June 2022

The coordinator presented the state of play of the development of the ScanMed corridor and gave an outlook towards 2030. He furthermore got an update on the latest developments of the biggest infrastructure projects in Europe and explored how Scandinavia, based on this knowledge and through cross-border cooperation, can make even more people benefit from such investments. In addition, he had the chance to visit the port of Helsingborg and especially the deployment of alternative fuels for port operations.

The stakeholder meeting southern access routes and breakthrough ceremony at BBT Lot Mules 2-3, Bolzano, 18-19 May 2022

During his visit to the southern part of the Brenner Base tunnel the coordinator got a first-hand account of the progress Italy is making with the southern access routes to the Brenner Base Tunnel. At the same time, he had the opportunity to present to the local stakeholders the proposal for a revised TEN-T Regulation. Furthermore, he had the chance to witness the breakthrough ceremony at BBT LOT Mules 2-3 live which resulted in the southern tunnel portal and the state border (Brenner) now being connected.

Nordic Railway Forum conference - Gothenburg, the hub of the transport corridor Oslo-Copenhagen-Hamburg, online, 13 May 2022

The coordinator highlighted the importance of the Oslo - Hamburg stretch and of the node of Gothenburg from a European and ScanMed corridor perspective.

BBT-SE supervisory board meeting, online, 17 March 2022

The coordinator participated to the supervisory board meeting of the BBT-SE in his observer role. He in particular gave account of recent developments at EU level of relevance to the project.

European Commissions TEN-T Revision information meeting for all corridor stakeholders, online, 15 March 2022

The coordinator participated to this meeting in which DG MOVE gave stakeholders from all TEN-T corridors a detailed insight into its proposal for a revised TEN-T regulation (video). The coordinator briefly introduced the main changes to the regulation with a view to digitalisation and innovation.

The European Parliament public hearing “Making the TEN-T fit for European mobility in 2030 and beyond”, online, 15 March 2022

The coordinator gave an online introductory speech especially highlighting the challenges and opportunities ahead for “TEN-T policy” and giving some insights in the Commission’s proposal for a revised TEN-T regulation.

The Brenner Corridor Platform Chairs Meeting, online, 25 January 2022

The coordinator exchanged with the chairpersons of the Brenner Corridor Platform working groups to take stock of their work and to agree on the issues to be treated in 2022.

Seminar of the TEN-T Coordinators, online, 18 January 2022

In this seminar the coordinators focussed on the external aspects of the newly proposed TEN-T Regulation and discussed the potential impact of the tensions between Russia and Ukraine/Moldova on the TEN-T maps.

BBT-SE supervisory board meeting, online, 17 January 2022

The coordinator participated to the supervisory board meeting of the BBT-SE in his observer role. He in particular gave account of recent developments at EU level of relevance to the project.

Plenary meeting of the Brenner Corridor Platform, 10 December 2021

During this meeting the coordinator in his role as chairman of the Brenner corridor platform was presented with the final results of the passenger and freight forecast studies for the entire Brenner corridor (Munich-Verona). The studies were carried out with the participation of the three Ministries of Transport (DE, AT, IT), the three infrastructure managers (DB, ÖBB, RFI) and BBT SE. For the first time ever, results are based on a commonly accepted cross-border dataset and an agreed methodology. Results clearly show that the planned four-track rail upgrade of the entire corridor needs to be consistently further advanced to facilitate the predicted traffic volumes in 2030 and 2040 respectively. These studies can be considered as a best practise example for cross-border traffic forecasting.

16th ScanMed Corridor Forum meeting

This was the last formal Forum meeting ahead of the finalisation of the draft 5th corridor workplan. Participants were presented with the results of the project implementation reporting to which most of the forum members have contributed. Furthermore 3 corridor projects presented themselves and the outcomes of their activities:

• Multimodal Platform and Freight Villages by Alberto Milotti, ZAI
• Multimodal Node Erfurt by Michael Flore, Head of Unit, Thuringian Ministry for Infrastructure and Agriculture
• DIP – Deployment of Innovative Projects on RFCs (by ScanMed RFC) by Linda Thulin/Emanuele Mastrodonato

Finally, participants received a short outlook on the upcoming proposal for a revised TEN-T Regulation.

Hearing of the Coordinator at the European Parliament TRAN committee, 15 November 2021           

The coordinator had the chance to update MEPs on the progress with regard to the implementation of the ScanMed corridor and to highlight some of the features of the upcoming TEN-T revision.

Action Group Brenner Railway Conference: Cross-border Railway in Europe: The Brenner Axis at the heart of the ScanMed corridor, 13 November 2021

The coordinator gave a keynote speech highlighting the experiences from the recent journey of the Connecting Europe Express with regard to technical, operational and commercial barriers that hamper a truly open European market for rail that is competitive vis-à-vis road and air transport. He gave an outlook on the revision of the TEN-T regulation, highlighted the positive developments in the Brenner corridor platform and pointed participants to the most recent CEF call.

Meeting of the Supervisory Board of the BBT-SE, 8 October 2021

The coordinator participated to the supervisory board meeting of the BBT-SE in his observer role. He in particular gave account of recent developments at EU level of relevance to the project.

Connecting Europe Express,September-October 2021

This special train circulated through almost all EU and some of the neighbouring countries for 36 days and has been a showcase of the many achievements of rail, but also the limitations to our Single European Rail Area and the TEN-T network. It has raised awareness of the technical, operational and commercial barriers that hamper a truly open European market for rail that is competitive vis-à-vis road and air transport. The coordinator had the chance to board the train on 4 different occasions:

1. From Rome to Innsbruck (via Bolzano and the Brenner) 8-9 September 2021:
   The coordinator had the chance on-board to speak with the experts from the Italian ministry as well as of RFI on the Italian plans and projects for railways (ERTMS, RRF etc.). Furthermore, he discussed with the chamber of commerce of Bolzano the possibilities of a car free holiday in south Tyrol, met the mayors from south and north Tyrol and got a detailed account of the state of play of the Brenner corridor (northern access, BBT, southern access).
2. Inter-institutional session in Brdo/Slovenia 23 September 2021:
   At invitation of the Commission, the coordinator participated to the inter-institutional session (with ministers and MEPs) on the revision of the TEN-T regulation in Brdo/Slovenia, which was organised at the occasion of the CEE passing through the country.
3. From Copenhagen to Stockholm 30 September to 2 October 2021:
   The coordinator got several interesting presentations on-board for example on: lessons learnt from rail market opening in Sweden, the prospects of digitalisation and automated train operations, innovation in the Rail Freight sector and the Green industrial transition in the Middle and North of Sweden.
4. From Strasbourg to Paris 6-7 October:
   All 11 European coordinators came together for an in-person seminar on the revision of the TEN-T Regulation before taking the CEE on its last stretch from Strasbourg to Paris.

Sea Future Conference, La Spezia, 30 September 2021

The coordinator provided a pre-recorded interview to be shown at the conference on the topic driving the change in shipping & logistics: the EU funding opportunities in the programming period 2020–2027.

C-Roads Italy Conference: C-ITS services for mobility become a reality, 16 September 2021

The coordinator provided a video message for the final event of the C-ITS Roadshow in Trento. He especially highlighted the importance of ITS deployment for the ScanMed corridor.

10th anniversary of the Fehmarnbelt Dialogue Forum, 9 September 2021

The coordinator provided a video message for the 10th anniversary of the Dialogue forum highlighted the importance of the work of the forum for public engagement and lauding its approach as a s a best practice example for mega projects on the ScanMed corridor.

4th ScanMed corridor geographical focus meeting Mediterranean region (Italy and Malta), 13 July 2021

During this meeting the transport ministries of Italy and Malta presented their national transport and infrastructure planning documents. Furthermore, participants discussed different angles and projects with regard to road transport e.g. the MARSA junction and the role out electric vehicles and infrastructure in Malta; Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS), the digital interconnection of vehicles and roads and safe and secure parking projects in Italy. With regard to rail transport the national rail planning in Italy was examined in more detail and participants got an account of coordinated initiatives enhancing core intermodal nodes in the Veneto Region.

Finally with regard to maritime transport the national planning for ports in Italy, alternative fuel infrastructure projects in Valetta port, the role of Marsaxlokk port as a transhipment hub for the Mediterranean, the projects of the Central Adriatic Seaport Authority in Italy on the Adriatic Sea and, the possibilities of Hybrid Mega-RoRo vessels as a decarbonised large-scale transport solution for shortsea traffic were presented and discussed in detail.

Meeting of the Supervisory Board of the BBT-SE, 6 July 2021

The coordinator participated to the supervisory board meeting of the BBT-SE in his observer role. He in particular gave account of recent developments at EU level of relevance to the project.

3rd ScanMed corridor geographical focus meeting Brenner region (Munich to Verona), 5 July 2021

During this meeting participants got a very detailed account of the state of:

• the Northern Access Routes to the BBT covering the München – Radfeld part (gradual opening of the different sections in steps between 2032 and 2040)
• the BBT itself (different issues leading to new schedule for opening March 2032)
• the Southern Access Routes to the BBT covering the Verona Ponte Gardena part (under implementation, first LOTs to be finalises in line with BBT schedule)

Furthermore, the coordinator had an in-depth exchange with the chairs of the Brenner corridor platform working groups and got a detailed account on the activities of the ScanMed RFC south.

ScanMed corridor meeting, 24 June 2021

The coordinator organised and  in order to give an account of his activities and present the results of the 4th phase of corridor studies (218-2022) on the TEN-T Corridors. In particular the results of the Project List Update and the feedback from workshop meetings where highlighted. Furthermore, participants saw presentations:

• From the EIB on the Kattwyk bridge project in the port of Hamburg with focus on the “blending” finance scheme used
• From the Italian Ministry of Infrastructure and Sustainable Mobility on the final results of the GAINN4MED project which is about to deliver 6 LNG/CNG stations and containers to transport the fuel to the stations
• From Berlin-Brandenburg on the Scandria2Act clean fuels strategy and project ideas in this area.

Seminar of the European Coordinators on Financing, 9 June 2021

The European Coordinators held an online seminar on the TEN-T revision. The focus of the discussion were on the links to financing from CEF as well as on new developments Recovery & Resilience Facility, Green bonds, Green taxonomy.

Europaforum North Sweden - annual conference, 3 June 2021

The coordinator gave a speech at the Panel: “North Sweden: Connecting the region to the EU”. He especially highlighted the success story of the Bothnian Corridor as a best practice example on how regions by working together, coming up with common priorities and strategies and by providing in-depth analysis underpinned by credible numbers and facts can drive national infrastructure planning. From the corridor perspective he expressed his hopes that through the extension of the ScanMed corridor to the north we can increase the attractiveness of railway transport for passengers and freight and contribute to shift more traffic from road/air to rail. He furthermore highlighted the importance to connect the large industries be it fisheries, forestry, steal or other raw materials directly to the European market. He furthermore highlighted the geopolitical context of the extension that not only will provide direct access to the ice-free Arctic port in Narvik but also create opportunities for a more direct land route to Asia.

Seminar of the European Coordinators, videoconference, 1 June 2021

The European Coordinators held an online seminar on the TEN-T revision. The focus of the discussion were the Motorways of the Sea and inland waterways.

Fehmarnbelt Days 2021, 31 May 2021

The coordinator attended a panel of the Fehmarnbelt days (Youtube) together with the Danish Minister of transport and the minister of transport of Schleswig-Holstein to debate the opportunities of the Fehmarnbelt tunnel and the transformative changes it might have on the region.

2nd ScanMed corridor geographical focus meeting south Sweden, south Norway, Denmark, north-Germany, 28 May 2021

During this second meeting the Swedish, Norwegian, Danish and German ministries gave an update on their respective national transport planning documents and in particular on those parts that are of concern for TEN-T and the corridor.  Furthermore participants got an insight into the:

• the Gothenburg-Oslo railway project,
• the planned fixed links across the Öresund,
• the infrastructure priorities of the Region of Southern Denmark,
• the Oslo - Stockholm 2.55h railway project,
• the STRING hydrogen project,
• the southern access railway line to the Fehmarnbelt fixed link
• projects in the rail node of Hamburg, incl. S4

Finally, the port of Gothenburg gave a presentation on the maritime dimension and the role of ports on the ScanMed corridor.

Meeting with the Finnish Minister of Transport, videoconference, 21 May 2021

On 21 May 2021, the European Coordinator for the North Sea Baltic corridor and the Coordinator for the Scandinavian Mediterranean Corridor met the Finnish Minister of Transport, Mr Timo Harakka. A variety of subjects were discussed, including the extension of the North Sea Baltic corridor and the new Finnish 12 year transport plan.

Seminar of the European Coordinators, videoconference, 11 May 2021

Together with his colleagues, the European Coordinator took part in an online seminar on the TEN-T revision. The focus lay on alternative fuels and intelligent transport systems.

1st ScanMed corridor geographical focus meeting north-Sweden, north-Norway, Finland, 5 May 2021

Due to the travel restrictions during the Covid pandemic the coordinator organised dedicated meetings with regional focus in order for stakeholders to highlight issues of their concern in particular ongoing or planned corridor projects and their potential impact.

During this first meeting the Swedish and Finnish ministries presented their respective national transport planning documents in particular those parts of concern for TEN-T and the corridor. Furthermore, the Stockholm Mälar Region, the Region of Västerbotten, the Bothnian corridor presented their regional transport planning priorities and participants got an insight into the challenges that surround the Tornio-Haparanda railway connection. Finally, there was a presentation on the specificities of the Helsinki-Turku one hour-train and on the maritime dimension of the corridor in the region represented by the port of Turku.

Seminar of the European Coordinators, videoconference 20 April 2021

The European Coordinators held an online seminar in the context of the upcoming TEN-T revision. The focus lay on the rail, the European Railway Traffic Management System (ERTMS), and key performance indicators for road transport.

Meeting of the Supervisory Board of the BBT-SE, 15 April 2021

The coordinator participated to the supervisory board meeting of the BBT-SE in his observer role. He in particular gave account of recent developments at EU level of relevance to the project.

Seminar of the European Coordinators, videoconference, 13 April 2021

The European Coordinators held an online seminar to discuss the external dimension of TEN-T policy with a view to the upcoming revision of the TEN-T guidelines.

Online Conference: the Öresund Metro: our future Connection, 9 April 2021

The coordinator gave a speech lauding the results of the project so far which is showcasing the capability of regional initiatives to drive initiatives forward. He welcomed the realism with which the project is being approached, based on factual information, operating on a reasonable timeline with reasonable parameters (costs) and trying to involve all relevant actors. He pointed to the need to study alternatives to the Oresund bridge which might reach its capacity limits when the Fehmarnbelt fixed link opens. However, he also remarked that the final decision for such a project to go ahead lies with the national governments.

Final conference of project “Interface” Port of Palermo, 29 March 2021

The coordinator participated to a Webinar at the occasion of the completion of the “Interface” project which aimed at renovating the access to the core port of Palermo and its interactions with the urban environment. He gave an opening speech highlighting the maritime dimension of the ScanMed corridor and outlining what is to be expected for maritime ports with the TEN-T revision.

Meeting CEO new East Coast Railway Sweden (Nya Ostkustbanan), 2 March 2021

The coordinator held an exchange with Ms Ingela Bendrot (CEO of the project) and her team discussing the details of the project and its impact from a ScanMed corridor perspective.

Meeting of the Intergovernmental Commission for the Brenner Base Tunnel (CIG), 20 January 2021

The coordinator participated to the meeting of the CIG and gave an update on recent EU topics. High presented some insights into the Commissions Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy, explained that the negotiations of the CEF2 and RRF are not over yet, and gave an update on the revision process for the TEN-T Regulation.

Forum for Nordic railway co-operation (NJS) Seminar 20 years of Oresund bridge, 8 December 2020

The coordinator gave an introductory statement to the seminar highlighting the importance of the bridge from a European perspective. He praised the Oresund bridge as a masterpiece of engineering that sets standards for many other infrastructure projects in Europe and the world. He also highlighted the transformative role the bridge has played for the region by bringing the region between Copenhagen and Malmö growing in terms of a joint labour and housing market, in terms of culture and also in economic and transport terms. Looking towards the future he pointed out that the Oresund bridge might become a victim of its own success and become a bottleneck after the opening of the Fehmarnbelt fixed link.

Webinar for the Baltic Sea basin, 1 December 2020

Upon the initiative of the Motorways of the Sea Coordinator Kurt Bodewig, a 2.5 hour webinar was jointly organised with the three European Coordinators of the land-side corridors (Pat Cox (SCM), Catherine Trautmann (NSB) and Anne Jensen (BAC)) for the Baltic sea basin. The event titled “Motorways of the Sea in the Baltic Sea: priorities and needs for a sustainable & effective multimodal transport” and involved over 140 participants. Various good practices in the field of digital multimodal transport solutions as well as alternative fuels deployment in ports were presented.

OECD- STRING Norwegian Conference 16 November 2020

The coordinator participated to a panel debate on Making the Megaregion happen, planning, financing and collaborating across borders. The coordinator took the good example of the Oresund fixed link to explain how transport projects can transform an entire region. He furthermore highlighted the role of cross-regional and multi- stakeholder cooperation’s such as STRING in the creation of Megaregions. He furthermore explained how the European Green Deal will lead to a transformation of the transport sector.

Webinar of the Eastern Norway County Network - Cross-border railway solutions of the future, online, 23 October 2020

The coordinator addressed the seminar by outlining the status of the ScanMed corridor in Scandinavia and highlighting the situation for few projects of particular interest for the region e.g. Fehmarnbelt, Oslo-Gothenburg-Copenhagen, Oslo-Stockholm. He furthermore gave a short update on the TEN-T revision process.

BBT SE supervisory board meeting, online, 22 October 2020

The coordinator participated to the supervisory board meeting of the Brenner Base Tunnel SE in his observer role as non-voting member of the board.

Virtual Seminar of the European Coordinators, online, 19 October 2020

The focus of this seminar was on the Resilience and Recovery Facility (RFF) with a presentation from DG MOVE Unit B.2 of where things are in the legislative process and questions & answers from the Coordinators.

The key principles, guidance and templates for national plans to be prepared under the RFF were issued by the Commission on 17 September and are available at https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/IP_20_1658. There is also a central place where all key information is gathered for Member States at https://ec.europa.eu/info/departments/recovery-and-resilience-task-forc….

ESPO jury meeting, online, 23 September 2020

Coordinator Cox chaired the jury meeting of the 2020 ESPO award on "Enhancing the port-city relationship by encouraging innovators and local start-ups to be part of the port ecosystem".

Virtual Seminar of the European Coordinators, online, 22 September 2020

The European Coordinators held an exchange of views on rail-related matters. Former European Coordinator for ERTMS Karel Vinck and former Ambassador of Belgium Jan Grauls presented the initiative "European Year of Rail 2021", which foresees a series of events, campaigns and initiatives that will promote rail as a sustainable, innovative and safe mode of transport. Elisabeth Werner, Director for Land Transport at DG MOVE provided an overview of the Commission’s rail policy and the upcoming initiatives, including the revision of the Rail Freight Corridors Regulation. The Coordinators discussed relevant related projects on their Corridors and how to best support the European Year of Rail from their side.

BBT SE supervisory board meeting, online, 11 September 2020

The coordinator participated to the supervisory board meeting of the Brenner Base Tunnel SE in his observer role as non-voting member of the board.

Video messages from the European Coordinator of the TEN-T Core Network Corridor Scan-Med, Pat Cox, August 2020

Update on the latest developments along the corridor and some insights into our recent activities. You will see that the coordinators activities have not ceased. For the months to come we will continue our activities digitally.

ScanMed UPDATE PC

Summary of the key findings of the 4th workplan for the ScanMed corridor, which is the result of our combined work over the last two years.

Scan Med Road to Recovery Final PC

Outline of a possible way forward and a road to recovery from the COVID-19 crisis including insights into the next MFF and the Next Generation EU fund.

Scan Med Road to Recovery Final PC

BBT SE supervisory board meeting, online, 20 July 2020

The coordinator participated to the supervisory board meeting of the Brenner Base Tunnel SE in his observer role as non-voting member of the board.

BBT SE supervisory board meeting, online, 3 July 2020

The coordinator participated to the supervisory board meeting of the Brenner Base Tunnel SE in his observer role as non-voting member of the board.

Meeting with Member States on Covid/post Covid-19 transport perspectives along the ScanMed corridor, online, 22 June 2020

Upon invitation of the European coordinator, the Member States along the Scan Med corridor held a meeting to discuss the impact of the Covid-19 crisis on the transport sector. At the beginning of the meeting, the coordinator gave a short update on recent developments at EU level such as on the new legislation on streamlining procedures for cross border projects ("permitting"), the re-flow calls under the Connecting Europe Facility and the Covid-19 recovery package proposed by the Commission. The European Coordinator invited the MS to look at the National priorities and seek to use COVID-19 as an opportunity to re-think transport in particular with a view to urban nodes, digitalisation including ERTMS, greening of transport by alternative fuels infrastructure etc. so that the long term goals can be achieved. The Members States then gave detailed presentations on the impact of Covid-19 on on-going or planned projects TEN-T projects, the short-term measures put in place in each MS to face the immediate challenges brought by the pandemic, the long-term measures to overcome economic crisis as well as the possibilities and priorities of the new (financial) instruments.

Virtual Seminar of the European Coordinators, online, 18 June 2020

The European Coordinators held an exchange of views with Commissioner for Transport Adina Vălean on priorities in relation to transport infrastructure investments and further development of the TEN-T Corridors. They also discussed the EU’s economic recovery and long-term budget plans and their implications for transport.

BBT SE supervisory board meeting, online, 20 May 2020

The coordinator participated to the supervisory board meeting of the Brenner Base Tunnel SE in his observer role as non-voting member of the board.

Virtual Seminar of the European Coordinators, online, 18 May 2020

During their online meeting, the European Coordinators discussed developments in relation to Chinese investments in transport infrastructure in Europe, as well as the role of transport and EU investment instruments in the aftermath of the Covid-19 crisis.

Meeting MEP Jakop Dalunde, online, 28 April

The coordinator exchanged with MEP Jacop Dalunde on the priorities for the upcoming revision of the TEN-T guidelines.

Virtual Seminar of the European Coordinators, online, 24 April 2020

As it had become impossible to travel and meet in person the European Coordinators and DG MOVE decided to strengthen their exchange and collaboration by implementing a number of virtual seminars. At this first virtual seminar, the coordinators and DG MOVE discussed a way forward to keep stakeholders engaged along the corridors in the coming months, the report of the European Court of Auditors on the Transport Flagship projects as well as the proposal for the Connecting Europe Facility 2 and the EU recovery plan.

BBT SE supervisory board meeting, online, 7 April 2020

The coordinator participated to the supervisory board meeting of the Brenner Base Tunnel SE in his observer role as non-voting member of the board.

Extended chairs meeting of the Brenner corridor Platform incl. DG MOVE and RFC ScanMed, online, 18 March 2020

The coordinator chaired the meeting of the chair-persons of the Brenner corridor platform working groups (Infrastructure, Interoperability and Operations, Terminals, Accompanying measures, Environment and Communications) that was extended to also welcome participants from DG MOVE railway units as well as from the Rail Freight corridor (RFC) ScanMed. Besides getting an update on the status of work in the individual working groups and defining their future tasks the group got an update on:

• the work of the bilateral working groups between RFI and ÖBB regarding the Brenner Base tunnel,  
• the work of the Brenner task force within the ScanMed RFC
• developments at European level

Visit of the Brenner corridor with Commissioner for Transport Adina Valean, Munich, Innsbruck, Fortezza, 13-14 February 2020

Together with Transport Commissioner Adina Valean and a delegation from the European Commission (DG MOVE) the coordinator visited the Brenner corridor between Munich and Verona. He met with the ministers of Transport from Italy and Austria as well as with the minister of transport of Bavaria and the governors of Tyrol and South-Tyrol. The main aim of the visit was to find common solutions and to agree a way forward in order to tackle the problem of heavy goods traffic along the Brenner corridor. In addition, the coordinator and the Commissioner visited the rolling road in Brennersee and the progress of the works of the Brenner Base tunnel in Fortezza.

TEN-T Coordinators Seminar, Brussels 10 December 2019

Coordinator Cox attended the bi-annual seminar of the TEN-T Coordinators at INEA.

The seminar allowed for different exchanges between the Coordinators, the representatives of DG MOVE and INEA on the current state of play of CEF and the projects management/results.

The reallocation of reflow funding has been analysed and future priorities have been discussed. A very interesting meeting took place in the afternoon with a delegation of representatives of the “chefs” of the large tunnel projects in Europe.

This was an excellent opportunity to exchange views about the long term planning and investments of very large projects.

BBT SE supervisory board meeting, Santa Barbara Day and Meeting with BBT-SE staff, Bolzano/Innsbruck 3-5 December 2019

The coordinator participated to the supervisory board meeting of the Brenner Base Tunnel SE in his observer role as non-voting member of the board and attended the celebrations for Santa Barbara day. He furthermore gave a speech for the staff of BBT-SE highlighting the importance of the project for the EU and praising the contribution and dedication of the staff to this major infrastructure project.

ScanMed Ideas Laboratory on Long Distance Rail Passenger Services, Frankfurt am Main 22 November 2019

The 10th ScanMed corridor ideas laboratory focussed on the issues of long distance rail passenger services on the corridor. The participating experts of ministries, infrastructure managers and railway undertakings discussed presented a variety of success stories and planned projects regarding passenger rail such as:

• The recent developments in Sweden where in particular domestic air passenger transport dropped by 8% (1-9/2019) and the trend towards (long distance) rail transport is continued exceeding all long-term forecasts
• The German plan to double the rail passenger transport with a coordinated time table concept “Deutschland-Takt” which will bring increases in frequency (every 30 minutes on main axis), reduces journey times by optimized connections in the stations and higher speeds on the lines and delivery services for entire Germany (cities and rural areas)
• The harmonised passenger demand study for the Brenner line between DE, AT and IT conducted within the Brenner Corridor Platform (BCP)
• Different night train concepts and experiences
• The high speed rail experience and success story in Italy from the view of the incumbent and a private operator
• Major infrastructure projects in Germany that will improve north-south traffic on the corridor

Fourteenth meeting of the Scandinavian-Mediterranean Core Network Corridor Forum, Brussels 21 November 2019

In total around 90 participants from all corridor countries attended the meeting. It was kicked off by coordinator Pat Cox who outlined his activities since the last forum. Subsequently consortium leader Mr Sondermann presented the state of play and interim results of the ongoing TEN-T CNC study for the ScanMed corridor. Further Presentations were given on:

• The infrastructure needs from the rail market perspective until 2023
• The state of play of the CEF-funded Actions implemented on the corridor
• The open CEF MAP Call 2019 and for Blending Facility
• The new features of the TENtec system
• The current state of Kouvola Rail-Road Terminal     
• The Italian high capacity rail freight project
• The Memorandum of Understanding between Sicilian and Maltese ports
• The Öresund high-speed metro line

At the end of the meeting, Pat Cox provided an overview of the meetings that he will attend in the coming months. Special reference was made to the TEN-T Days in Sibenik (15-17 May 2020) and the next Corridor Fora (25.6.2020 and 26.11.2020).

Furthermore, the way towards the 4th workplan was explained. In closing the coordinator thanked the participants and highlighted that, he considers the forum as a family that shapes cooperation and builds trust among the actors in the corridor and leads to increased knowledge, shared views and sustainable projects across the Regions.

Meeting with regional and local representatives of Hamburg and Schleswig Holstein; Visit to Fehmarn and port of Hamburg, 18-20 November 2019

On the first day of the coordinators visit to the region was dedicated to the Fehmarnbelt fixed link project and the corresponding access routes in Germany. The coordinator had the chance to meet with representatives from the local chamber of commerce, the state secretary for Transport Mr Rohlfs, the project advisory board for the Fehmarn Belt project (incl. citizens), local politicians and mayors from the region as well as representatives of Fehmarn A/S and Deutsche Bahn. The purpose of the visit was to explain the importance of the project from the European perspective and to highlight the expected benefits for the region. The coordinator stressed that citizens’ concerns are taken seriously and that the outcome of the pending court cases will have to be respected by either side.

On the second day coordinator, Cox got some insights in the planning for the hinterland connection for the Fehmarnbelt fixed link, the regional train project S4 and the plans for Hamburg main station. Furthermore, the coordinator had the chance to get an insight into transport related projects in the port of Hamburg such as the planned new Köhlbrand-crossing, the Kattwyk-Bridge, on-shore power supply stations and plans, port monitoring solutions, drone use for risk-avoidance, Water pollution control and use of digital tools in the ports daily operations and future planning. Apart from representatives of the Hamburg Port authority, Mr Cox met high political representatives of the city of Hamburg.

On the third day the coordinator exchanged with the Ministry of Economy, Transport and Innovation of the city of Hamburg on the plans for the Intelligent Transport Systems World Congress 2021 (ITS) Hamburg, on automated and connected driving, on sustainability and „greening“ of the transport sector (LNG, Hydrogen, EV) as well as on citizens acceptance within major transport projects.

MoS-MED-SCM: working group meeting for the Western Med Sea, Madrid, 29-30 October 2019

End of October coordinator Cox assisted his colleague Kurt Bodewig, coordinator for MoS, in one of his working group meetings for the Western Mediterranean sea basin. The meeting specifically focussed on maritime transport and its impact on TEN-T, on tools and technologies to boost environmental protection and improved connectivity within and outside EU borders. The coordinator was very pleased to see many of our forum members from Italy and Malta present at the event. It was a good example of cross-corridor cooperation and fertilisation.

Meeting DK Minister and Femern A/S, Copenhagen, 4 October 2019

The coordinator had the chance to meet the new Danish Minister for Transport in Copenhagen. The Minister informed that the current government has a very strong mandate regarding climate change issues and the aim is to decrease CO₂ emissions by 70% until 2030 notably in the agriculture, building and transport sector. Furthermore the Minister informed on the progress with the Fehmarnbelt project and the coordinator stressed the importance of having the cross-party support in the Danish Parliament for the project. The coordinator explained the new rules under CEF II regarding cross-border co-funding rates, implementing decisions, role of the coordinators, synergies etc. The Minister briefly introduced some other ongoing projects e.g. Storstrøm Bridge, the connection in Fünen and the Jutland corridor.

Conference on logistics: On the Border and visit to Haparanda/Tornio, 2-3 October 2019

Beginning of October, the coordinator had the chance to go a bit off corridor to an area that will become part of the corridor forum soon once the Bothnian corridor will become part of the ScanMed corridor. The coordinator got a comprehensive overview of the specific situation in the region and had the chance to meet many actors involved in transport and beyond. Forestry and mining activities in the region are expected to increase. Many of these raw materials are vital for Europe’s transition to a net zero carbon future. The region is also anticipating increased freight flows from China by rail and/or by ship via the increasingly ice free Northeast Passage, itself a consequence of the effects of global warming.This necessitates in better transport solutions for businesses and residents in these sparsely populated northern regions of Finland, Sweden and Norway that facilitate bulk freight transport flows from there to their markets.

Meeting with the new TRAN committee in the EP, Brussels, 24 September 2019

The newly composed TRAN Committee asked for a meeting with the European Coordinators to have a first exchange of views on the TEN-T policy in the current legislature. The coordinator had a first-hand chance to introduce the ScanMed corridor to the new MEPs especially the two major projects BBT, Fehmarn but also some innovative concepts on the corridor.

Meeting SE Ministry and Conference “Competitive rail freight transport”, Stockholm, 19-20 September 2019

During his mission to Stockholm, the Coordinator met the Swedish State Secretary for Infrastructure to exchange on the priorities in the Swedish national transport plan and the resulting opportunities for the ScanMed corridor. After the meeting with the State Secretary, the coordinator had a full day of presentations from the Swedish transport authority (Trafikverket) which gave a great insight into the topics they are working on and deepened the discussions from the morning. Topics were: climate adaptation, climate mitigation, digitalisation, electrical roads, international rail passenger traffic, HSR, Freight rail, ports development and CEF.

BBT SE supervisory board meeting, Vienna 28 June 2019

The coordinator participated to the supervisory board meeting of the Brenner Base Tunnel SE in his observer role as non-voting member of the board.

Thirteenth meeting of the Scandinavian-Mediterranean Core Network Corridor Forum, Brussels 20 June 2019

Around 80 participants from all over the ScanMed corridor participated to the meeting. The coordinator in his role as chair of the forum gave an overview of his activities since the last CF meeting followed by the presentation from the consultants on the elements of the corridor study (Market study, project list, PIR, new indicators).

The consultants than gave a detailed account on the ideas laboratory on cross-border freight rail northern ScanMed that that took place in March 2019.The forum also agreed on the three new ideas laboratories that are going to be organised. After the presentation, a lively discussion ensued especially on the approach to the market study and on the issue of infrastructure resilience. The coordinator was also invited by the port of Taranto to discuss southern ports issues and connections, which he welcomed very much as usually engagement from southern Italian stakeholders is limited.

Participants received presentations on MoS, the CEF Blending Facility and the EIAH, Jaspers, state of play of CEF II and an overview of past, current and future SCANMED projects from INEA. Due to the limited time available, these issues could unfortunately not be discussed in further detail and will be followed up bilaterally. In general, the presentations have been met with great interest and it has become clear that for future forum meetings more time will be needed to ensure sufficient time for discussions and exchange.

Meeting with the German Ministry for Transport, Berlin 29 May 2019

The regular meeting between the German Ministerial level and the TEN-T coordinators having their corridor alignment passing through Germany took place in the Federal Ministry in Berlin. The Orient East Med – Rhine Alpine – North Sea Baltic – Rhine Danube – ScanMed - Atlantic TEN-T Coordinators and the ERTMS Coordinator met the German Federal State Secretary G.Beermann, the State Secretary Güntner and the Parliamentary State Secretary Bilger. This meeting allowed for exchanges of information on corridors essential issues and policies between the highest federal political level and each concerned TEN-T Coordinator.

The near future activities related to CEF II and the upcoming process of revision of TEN-T has been presented to the State Secretaries and their management staff.

A very open and very constructive exchange of views took place in the context of the implementation progress for each corridor and the future of TEN-T and CEF. German and EU priorities have been discussed including current bottlenecks. Follow-up will be ensured at the TEN-T Corridor levels between the German administration and the Coordinators.

Meeting with Deutsche Bahn head offices in Berlin, Germany, 29 May 2019

The regular meeting between the DB top management (Dr Richard LUTZ and management team) and the TEN-T coordinators having their corridor alignment passing through Germany took place in the DB Tower in Berlin. This regular meeting with the Orient East Med – Rhin Alpine – North Sea Baltic – Rhine Danube – ScanMed - Atlantic Coordinators and the ERTMS Coordinator allows for an exchange of views on the progress of railway in Germany towards the TEN-T objectives of 2030.

The thematic of this year meeting was to inform the Coordinators about DB policy on “Digital Rail Germany”.

The new environmental challenges, the needs for an increased railway capacity and a performing rail system can be tackled by the “Digitalisation” as a key driver. Interconnecting into one digital system the TEN-T network, the urban nodes and cities will maximise the interoperability. Modernisation of the railway infrastructure and the important rolling stock is raising important financial issues for the near future. Harmonised Radio frequencies and class B systems end of life are part of the overall scheme. Corridor issues and Corridor work plans have been shortly discussed. The principle of a follow-up meeting has been agreed upon.

Seminar of the European Coordinators and meeting with the EIB and with the European Court of Auditors, Luxembourg 9-10 April 2019

During their seminar in Luxembourg, the European Coordinators exchanged views with the representatives of the EU Court of Auditors in charge of the audit on “Transport Infrastructure flagship projects” along the TEN-T Corridors, including the Brenner Base tunnel and the Fehmarnbelt fixed link. They also met the European Investment Bank to discuss  new established financing mechanism and tools by the Bank and their added-value with European funding mechanisms for large transport infrastructure.

Ideas Lab with rail transport infrastructure and rail managers of the ScanMed corridor, northern stretch, Malmö 26-27 March 2019

The 9th ScanMed corridor ideas laboratory focussed on the issues of rail freight transport in the northern parts of the corridor in Germany and Scandinavia. After a visit to the Trafikverket operation and control centre in Malmö the participating experts of ministries, infrastructure managers and railway undertakings discussed a variety of topics such as the operational interoperability issues at the borders, railway capacity and bottlenecks, ERTMS, management of works as well as the possibilities and challenges for longer and heavier trains. It could be seen that these kind of meetings are important to progress with corridor development, really create added value and foster the corridor view among all participants.

BBT SE supervisory board meeting, Rome 20 March 2019

The coordinator participated to the supervisory board meeting of the Brenner Base Tunnel SE in his observer role as non-voting member of the board.

Joint Final Project Conference of Interreg projects NSB CoRe, Scandria®2Act and TENTacle, Brussels, 5-6 March 2019

In March three cross-corridor Interreg project came together to present the results of their work. Together with his colleague coordinators Ms Trautmann, Ms Jensen and Mr Bodewig coordinator Cox attended panel discussions reflecting on 6 years of corridor implementation and the challenges ahead such as climate change, digitalisation, decarbonisation but also on governance aspects. Furthermore, they debated the challenges and benefits of large-scale infrastructure projects and the importance of cross-regional collaboration for implementation of our policies. The coordinators also witnessed the launch of the Scandria Alliance at this event as a tool to foster the corridor dialogue in the future.

Visit to Denmark, Copenhagen 22 January 2019

During his visit to Copenhagen, the coordinator attended a morning Seminar at the Danish ministry for Transport and Housing, met with representatives of Femern A/S and met the Danish Minister Mr Ole Birk Olesen.

In the morning seminar, the coordinator addressed nearly 100 representatives from the Danish Transport Ministry, key players from the Parliament, Industry and transport sector. Mr Cox introduced the audience to the role of the coordinator, the corridor governance and the ScanMed corridor in particular. Furthermore, he described the success of the CEF and explained what is to come under CEF II. He assured the Danish side of the full support of the Commission for the Fehmarnbelt project that will continue also in the future.

The coordinator then had a meeting with the extended management of Femern A/S the body in charge for constructing the Fehmarnbelt tunnel. The coordinator explained the EU dimension of the project and its importance for the ScanMed corridor.
In his meeting with the Minister, Mr Pat Cox highlighted the Fehmarn Belt project’s significance for the ScanMed corridor in improving the mobility of EU citizens while at the same time providing the business community with better conditions to support a continued commercial and economic growth. The coordinator expressed the full support of the EU for the project. He furthermore exchanged with the Minister on what is to come under CEF II and encouraged DK to make use of these new opportunities.

Meeting of the CIG, Vienna 14 January 2019

The European coordinator participated to the meeting of the intergovernmental commission for the Brenner Base tunnel. In his statement, Mr Cox briefed the participants on the state of play of negotiations on the next CEF and the possibilities that remain under the current programme. He reminded the importance of an integrated cross-border joint venture in order to benefit to the maximum extent from the possibilities of the next CEF and suggested an inclusion of the southern access routes into this line of thinking.

Visit to the Brenner Base tunnel, Innsbruck/Fortezza 07 December 2018

Together with European Commissioner for Transport Violeta Bulc, coordinator Cox visited the different construction sites of the Brenner Base tunnel to get an update on the progress of the works. He congratulated all the people involved in the project at the occasion of the break through at the Southern portal in Fortezza.  In addition, Mr Cox used the occasion to meet with key regional stakeholders.

EESC conference on Clean Mobility, Vienna 15 November 2018

Upon invitation of the European Economic and Social Committee, the coordinator participated to the Clean Mobility conference. He made and opening statement and took part in the panel on “Intermodality and Corridors”.

ESPO jury meeting and award ceremony, Brussels 07 November 2018

Coordinator Cox chaired the jury meeting of the 2018 ESPO award on “Making the port a good environment for work”. At the ceremony, he gave a laudatory speech presenting the 4 candidates and highlighted the uniqueness of the different entries.

Meeting Austrian Delegation, Brussels 9 September 2018

The coordinator met a Delegation from Austria to discuss the specificities of Combined Transport on the Brenner corridor and to give an update on the latest developments along the Scan Med corridor.

Brenner Intermodal Forum, Verona 5 July 2018

On invitation of the Interporto Quadrante Europa coordinator Pat Cox attended the 1st Brenner Intermodal Forum discussing future scenarios, investments and opportunities on this transport axis, involving all the stakeholders and operators. After having listened to the interventions of institutions, industry, projects and operators Mr Cox draw the conclusions of the meeting. He praised the progress that has been made in constructing the Brenner Base tunnel but urged that policy choices regarding railway equipment and software have to be made now in a coordinated manner among the concerned member states, regions but also infrastructure managers, railway undertakings and the wider stakeholder community. In this regard he highlighted the importance of the BCP and of the Brenner Action Plan to give concrete recommendations and offer solutions to policy makers. He called for a smart corridor concept for the management and the coordination of railway operations between Munich and Verona that will offer the market a product, which can guarantee a lasting effect on the modal shift. He further briefed the participants on the future EU budget and Connecting Europe Facility.

Meeting of the CIG, Rome 25 June 2018

The European coordinator participated to the meeting of the intergovernmental commission for the Brenner Base tunnel. In his statement Mr Cox briefed the participants on the outcomes of the 2nd Brenner summit and the implications for the Brenner corridor. Furthermore he outlined the ECs proposal for the next CEF period and highlighted that respecting the corridor logic could become more and important feature in the future.

BCP plenary meeting, Innsbruck 13 June 2018

Coordinator Pat Cox chaired the plenary meeting of the Brenner corridor platform uniting all the working group members of the BCP. In his introduction Mr Cox gave a short summary of the outcomes of the 2nd Brenner summit on the previous days and the implications for the BCP working groups. He further conveyed some messages on behalf of the EU and briefed on the proposal for the next CEF. Subsequently the results of the different working groups of the BCP were presented by the respective chair-persons and then discussed by the audience. Participants agreed that that in recent months much needed progress on the Brenner corridor has been made and that it is positive that the work of the BCP has allowed to elevate the specific issues of the Brenner corridor to the highest political level with the two recent Brenner summits between the Ministers of Transport and the Regions and that political leaders are now aware of the corridor concept.

2nd Brenner Summit, Bolzano 12 June 2018

Coordinator Pat Cox chaired the second Brenner summit between the transport Ministers of Austria and high representatives of Germany and Italy as well as representatives of the concerned regions Bavaria, Tyrol, South-Tyrol, Trentino and Verona in Bolzano. In his introduction Mr Cox laid down the context and convening messages on behalf of the EC and gave a brief summary of the results coming out of the working groups of the Brenner corridor platform. Subsequently the results of the task force on the rolling road were presented in more detail. This was followed by a round of statements from Ministers, Presidents and Governors. The discussions took place in a very constructive manner.

The meeting was successful with a 9-1 consensus on the Brenner Action Plan Memorandum achieved. The MoU was signed by all but the Tyrolean governor, meaning that the work of the Brenner corridor platform can continue as planned. Participants showed a strong support for the Brenner corridor logic and the Brenner corridor platform.

Fehmarnbelt Days, Malmö 28-29 May 2018

Coordinator Pat Cox participated to several events during Fehmarnbelt days in Malmö and used the occasion for numerous bilateral contacts with Scan-Med corridor stakeholders.

The coordinator participated to the STRING political Forum meeting discussing the upcoming financial period and the implications for the network. Mr Cox gave a statement on the discussions on the next multi annual framework and priorities on the Scan-Med corridor in the coming years.

Coordinator Cox then participated to the Transport Ministers summit with the Transport Ministers of Sweden, Denmark and Schleswig-Holstein. The format established an informal dialogue between the transport ministers and the EU on the perspective of the Northern part of the Scan-Med Corridor. How do we cooperate and exchange to create the most efficient transport system between Scandinavia to Central Europe? Mr Cox highlighted the governance system of the TEN-T core-network corridors and explained the difficulties of cross-border projects. He put special emphasis on the need to actively and early engage with the local population if such projects ought to be successful.

TEN-T Days, Ljubljana 26-27 April 2018

Coordinator Pat Cox participated to several events during the TEN-T Days 2018 in Ljubljana and used the occasion for numerous bilateral contacts with Scan-Med corridor stakeholders.

At the session on “Transport Digitalisation” the coordinator gave a key note speech on digitalisation in the framework of TEN-T highlighting the opportunities of using TEN-T instruments and the gains for transport and society.

Mr Cox then chaired the meeting of the Scandinavian core network corridor. In his intervention he looked back on what has been achieved over the last 4 years, introduced the 3rd workplan and gave his recommendations and outlook on the future of the corridor. The meeting was attended by more than 200 participants and saw presentations from distinct speakers such as Mr Ian Borg, Transport Minister of Malta, Mr Erik Bergkvist, President of the region of Västerbotten, Mr Francesco de Rosa, Cososrzio 906, Gain_IT initiative, Konrad Bergmeister, CEO BBT-SE and Bjorn Kristiansen, Bane Nor.

Coordinator Cox led through the final presentation session of the Hackathon in which teams of young people presented their vision of Ljubljana’s mobility future in 2030. Mr Cox was impressed by the diversity of ideas and solutions and the dedication of the participants and lauded them on their engagement.

Mr Cox also had a discussion with his fellow Coordinators and Commissioner Oettinger to present their Joint Position Paper on the next MFF and a strengthened role for the Connecting Europe Facility as a follow-up to a meeting held in January 2018.

Finally, coordinator Cox moderated a plenary session on Transport Financing post-2020. In his introductory statement he reminded on the success of the current CEF instrument and the importance of transport for growth and jobs in Europe. He deplored very lengthy procurement procedures for transport projects and urged to be more ambitious with regard to alternative fuels deployment, decarbonisation objectives and new mobility solutions. The panel was attended by Mr Pedro Marques, Minister of transport of Portugal; Ms Mihaela Toader, State Secretary Ministry of EU funds Romania, Mr Dominique Riquet, MEP, member of the TRAN committee; Mr Thomas Alberghina, KfW; Mr Carlos Secchi, EU coordinator and Ms Mary Crass, ITF.

2nd Scan-Med ideas laboratory cross-border rail/interoperability on the Brenner Corridor

Coordinator Cox chaired the 7th ideas lab meeting of the Scan-Med corridor which focussed on the development of a concept for an efficient management of the Brenner rail corridor and was hosted by Tirol and BBT-SE. This meeting was a direct follow up of the previous ideas lab meeting in October 2017. The meeting was attended by managers of rail infrastructure, railway undertakings and the responsible railway authorities along the Brenner corridor. Mr Cox briefed the participants on the outcomes of the Brenner summit resulting in the Ministers’ demand for a short term solution for modal shift and the mandating of the Brenner Corridor Platform and its working groups to work on the implementation of the Brenner Action Plan 2018. The group then discussed recent developments regarding cross-border rail and interoperability and steps towards achieving a common operation on the entire Brenner Corridor that shall be further discussed in the BCP working group interoperability and operations. Coordinator Cox concluded the meeting outlining the work strands for the moths to come and once highlighting the importance of the corridor logic in this work.

BCP chairs meeting, and meeting of the CIG, Innsbruck 22 February 2018

Coordinator Cox chaired the meeting of the chair-persons of the different Brenner corridor platform working groups briefing them on the requirements to the WGs coming out of the Brenner summit in Munich and on the Status quo of Memorandum and Brenner Action Plan. The chairs agree on a way forward in view of the next Brenner summit to take place in May 2018.

Coordinator Cox then participated to the meeting of the intergovernmental commission for the Brenner Base tunnel giving a presentation on the progress of the Scan-Med corridor and briefing on the outcomes of the Brenner summit in Munich and the intended follow up.

Visit to Sicily and Calabria, 19-21 February 2018

During the first visit in his role as European coordinator for the Scan-Med corridor to Sicily and Calabria Mr Cox met with various politicians, authorities and project stakeholders.

In Sicily coordinator Cox met with representatives of the port authority of the ports of Palermo and Augusta and was presented with background on the ports as well as their development plans and challenges. During a train ride from Augusta to Messina coordinator Cox had a chance to discuss with representatives from RFI as well as from the port of Messina on railway policy in Sicily and the south of Italy as well as on the priorities/challenges of the port of Messina. Upon arrival the coordinator visited the ferry boat terminal and railway station in Messina. During the meetings Mr Cox gave an overview on TEN-T policy and Connecting Europe facility funding. He introduced the Scan-Med corridor and its governance model. Mr Cox encouraged stakeholders to make use of and participate to the corridor fora and ideas laboratories and underlined the importance of a strategic approach to infrastructure planning in the region.

Upon arrival by ferry to Calabria Mr Cox was greeted by the regional Minister for Logistics, ports and the port of Gioia Tauro, Mr Francesco Russo and representatives of the port authority of Villa S. Giovanni. Coordinator Cox then got a guided tour through the ferry terminal as was made aware of the specific challenges of the port as mayor hub for freight and passenger transport to and from Sicily. During a working dinner with the President of the Calabria Region, Mr Mario Oliveiro, the regional Minister for Ports Logistics and Port of Gioia Tauro, Mr Francesco Russo and the regional Minister for Infrastructure, Mr Roberto Musmanno, coordinator Cox had the chance to exchange on transport policy in the region and listen to the challenges and plans in terms of infrastructure development. During his last day in Calabria Mr Cox visited the port of Gioia Tauro and met with representatives of the port authority as well as with the regional Minister. Before leaving coordinator Cox had a brief exchange with the airport authorities of Lamezia Terme airport and got an insight into the specificities of air travel in region. Also during his meetings in Calabria the coordinator introduced the Scan-Med corridor and its governance model. Mr Cox encouraged stakeholders to make use of and participate to the corridor fora and ideas laboratories and underlined the importance of a strategic approach to infrastructure planning in the region.

Visit to Sweden and Norway, Malmö/Oslo 12-14 February 2018

On his way to Oslo coordinator Cox made a brief stop in Malmö to participate to a roundtable discussion on cross-border infrastructure and mobility in Sweden and the wider region organised by region Skåne. The coordinator presented the EU perspective on Swedish infrastructure and gave an update on Scan-Med corridor and on developments regarding the Connecting Europe Facility.

In Oslo Coordinator Cox first met with Mrs Anette Solli the Mayor of Akershus County and with representatives of the Eastern Norway County Network (ENCN) to discuss regional cooperation in the northernmost part of the Scan-Med corridor. Subsequently Mr Cox met with the Norwegian Transport Minister Mr Ketil Solvik-Olsen to discuss Norwegian governments transport policy, cooperation with the other Scandinavian countries as well as the Artic dimension of (EU) transport policy. Mr Cox also gave an insight into the governance model of the Scan-Med corridor and briefed on developments regarding the Connecting Europe Facility. In a follow-up meeting with officials from the ministry for transport and communications Mr Cox had the chance to learn more about the Norwegian government’s policy for electric vehicles.

On the second day of his visit to Norway the coordinator was introduced to the Follo line project: a planned 22.5-kilometer high-speed railway between Oslo and Ski of which 19km will be running in the longest railway tunnel in the country. The coordinator visited the Visitor centre as well as the projects building site including a tunnel boring machine. Before departing the coordinator got introduced to the new terminal of Oslo Gardermoen airport which is one of the most recent and innovative airport expansions in Europe and exchange on challenges and opportunities for Norwegian and European aviation with airport officials.

1st Brenner Summit, Munich 5 February 2018

Upon invitation by Commissioner Bulc, Coordinator Cox chaired the 1st Brenner summit meeting between the transport Ministers of Germany, Austria and Italy and representatives of the concerned regions Bavaria, Tyrol, South-Tyrol and Trentino in Munich to explore common solutions for traffic management on the Brenner corridor. It was for the first time that a meeting at this level was convened to discuss the specific issues of the Brenner corridor.

At the meeting, the Ministers and representatives of the concerned regions recalled the importance of working together on a shared and not unilateral basis to find constructive approaches for cross border freight transport via the Brenner. Traffic along the corridor needs to be managed in a way that allows for efficient transport while minimising the negative impact of road traffic growth on the environment and on the people living alongside the corridor.

Participants committed to working together on a comprehensive package of short, medium and long-term measures focused on the development of rail freight infrastructure such as terminal development and combined transport, the modal split between road and rail and appropriate accompanying measures along the Brenner corridor.
The following key conclusions arose from the meeting:

• Measures regulating road traffic shall be better coordinated and communicated between the affected member states and regions
• Participates mandated the Brenner corridor platform chaired by the Scan-Med Corridor coordinator to immediately activate its workings groups on the issues discussed today and to report back with a workplan and concrete proposals for quick wins in modal shift and focus on possibilities for strengthening ROLA services.
• The participants of the meeting agreed on the appropriateness of the measures included in the Brenner Action Plan. The related MoU should be signed in May at the latest.
• Participants agreed to hold a follow up meeting planned for May 2018 in Innsbruck and an annual summit at the level of Transport Ministers
• The work will take note of the results of the working groups of the Zurich Process

TEN-T Coordinators Seminar with INEA, Brussels 31 January 2018

On 31 January 2018 all Coordinators had been invited by INEA for a working session on the outcome of the CEF projects and their adequate reporting at which INEA presented specific reports on CEF funding for each corridor. This was followed by a seminar between Coordinators to exchange views on CEF 2 and on the organisation of the Corridor meetings during the TEN-T Days in Ljubljana.

TEN-T Coordinators Seminar, visit to the EP and investing to connect Europe conference, Strasbourg 13-16 November 2017

Coordinator Cox participated to the Seminar of the European coordinators hosted by the city of Strasbourg. At the seminar the coordinators discussed the 3rd versions of their respective workplans, the implementation of CEF and the outlook on CEF2. Furthermore coordinators Grosch and Vinck presented their rail breakthroughs paper and coordinators Bodewig and Secchi gave an update on their CBS report. The seminar was followed by an open discussion with Commissioner Bulc on the short and medium term objectives of the actions to implement the TEN-T networks.

At the Investing to Connect Europe conference Mr Cox moderated a high-level session on “An EU Budget for Connecting Europe”.

During his stay in Strasbourg, coordinator Cox also used the opportunity to meet with several MEPs in the European Parliament as to present the positive achievements and results of the Connecting Europe Facility so far and to call for a reinforced CEF 2.

ESPO award ceremony, Brussels 8 November 2017

Coordinator Cox gave a laudatory speech at the ninth edition the ESPO award on societal integration of ports in his role as non-voting chairman of the ESPO awards jury. Remarking particularly the diversity of project submissions and presenting the five shortlisted candidates for the award.

ScanMed ideas lab cross-border rail/interoperability on the Brenner Corridor, Innsbruck 11-12 October 2017

Coordinator Cox chaired the 6th ideas lab meeting of the Scan Med corridor which focussed on the development of a concept for an efficient management of the Brenner rail corridor and was hosted by Tirol and BBT-SE. The meeting was attended by managers of rail infrastructure, railway undertakings and the responsible railway authorities along the Brenner corridor.

In his introductory remarks Mr Cox reminded the participants of the purpose of the ideas laboratories which is multinational, multidisciplinary and integrative thinking across borders; knowledge sharing and peer group learning; improving the characteristics of the corridor and ultimately providing recommendations for future policies. He stressed the importance of the Brenner corridor platform and of the Memorandum of understanding of the Brenner Action Plan. With regard to the Brenner corridor the ambition is to make rail system truly competitive. Thus the question to answer is: What can we do together to build one system co-owned by all, and which might be used as a template for other parts of the corridor? Given the broad scope of the topic it was decided to hold a follow up meeting on the same issue in the months to come.

Friends of Fehmarnbelt – STRING seminar, Brussels 26 September 2017

Mr Cox had been invited as a speaker to the STRING seminar Friends of the Fehmarnbelt in the European Parliament and participated to the session on “future financing of largescale infrastructure projects”. His intervention focussed on the question of how financial support for largescale infrastructure projects can be maintained also in the future. Mr Cox gave an update on what has been achieved with the current budget of the Connecting Europe Facility and gave an outlook on the possibilities of the next CEF.

Connecting Europe Conference, Tallinn 22-24 September 2017

Coordinator Cox participated to several events during the Connecting Europe Conference in Tallinn. During the informal transport council session “Debating the future investment policy for the transport sector beyond 2020 – an exchange of views” Mr Cox took the floor and presented the joint declaration of the European coordinators on the future of TEN-T and CEF.

Subsequently Mr Cox took part in a panel discussion on “Investing in Europe” presenting the joint declaration of the coordinators more in detail and outlining the key recommendations in the paper.

For the session “Debating future investment policy” coordinator Cox acted as a moderator and steered the debate and Q&A with the audience on future possibilities for CEF,EFSI, investment platforms, blending, budget optimisation and project pipelines.

Furthermore Mr Cox had the chance to an introductory meeting with the new Maltese Transport Minister Mr Ian Borg to discuss transport policy in Malta and the countries importance for the Scan Med corridor.

Meeting Infrastructure managers and meeting of the Intergovernmental Commission for the Brenner Base Tunnel, Vienna 12-13 September 2017

Coordinator Cox chaired a meeting of the Infrastructure managers on the Brenner corridor form Munich to Verona to make progress on the Memorandum of Understanding of the Brenner Action Plan. Mr Cox stressed that a common vision for the Munich-Verona corridor ensuring as cheap and efficient operations as possible is needed if rail wants to compete with an increasingly automated and thus more competitive road sector. He furthermore emphasized that the efficiency of accompanying measures is of great importance (harmonised inspections, cross border deployment of personnel, common language etc.)

The following day Mr Cox attended the meeting of the Intergovernmental Commission for the Brenner Base Tunnel giving an update on the state of play of the Scan Med corridor and on the current Transport budget. He once more stressed the importance of taking a corridor perspective as the focus is slowly shifting from pure infrastructure build up to fitting out the tunnels for future operations and reminded of the MoU and the Brenner Action Plan in this regard.

Brenner Base Tunnel breakthrough ceremony, Innsbruck 27 July 2017

Coordinator Cox took the opportunity to meet with BBT-SE staff and the mayors of municipalities along the Brenner corridor to thank them for their work and commitment to this project. He then gave a speech at the breakthrough ceremony to celebrate the breakthrough connecting the Lower Inn valley access route with the Brenner Base base tunnel.

Visit to Almedalen week, Visby 3-5 July 2017

Coordinator Cox participated to several events during the Almedalen week on the Island of Gotland. Among others:

• High Level Round table: Sweden builds high speed rail – how does that benefit Europe?
• Arctic transport café,
• Panel discussion on Brexit – What does it mean to Ireland, Sweden and the future of the EU?
• Bothnian Corridor Seminar - European core network corridors: enablers for all stakeholders?

The coordinator also took the opportunity to meet with several ScanMed stakeholders from the Scandinavian section of the corridor.

ScanMed Ideas laboratory on roads/ITS, Rome 8-9 May 2017

The coordinator chaired the fifth ScanMed Ideas laboratory on "Good practices of Road and ITS along the ScanMed Corridor" hosted by ANAS in Rome. The meeting was attended by representatives of road infrastructure managers from all ScanMed MS. The focus of the discussions was among others on:

• ITS implementation
• Digital infrastructure and autonomous cars
• Improvements of road safety
• Finance

Visit to Denmark, Copenhagen 31 March 2017

Coordinator Cox met the Danish Minister for Transport, Building, and Housing, Mr. Ole Birk Olesen, the mayors of Copenhagen and Malmö as well as representatives of Femern A/S to discuss transport projects in the region and their importance for the ScanMed corridor.

Coordinators' seminar and meeting with Commissioner Violeta Bulc, Brussels 29-30 March 2017

The European Coordinators discussed the status, needs and future trends up to 2030 for the realisation of the Core Network Corridors amongst each other and with Transport Commissioner Violeta Bulc.

ScanMed Ideas laboratory on urban nodes II, Copenhagen 23-24 March 2017

Coordinator Cox chaired the 4th ScanMed ideas laboratory on "Good practices of Core Urban Nodes along the ScanMed Corridor" hosted by Copenhagen airport and the City of Copenhagen. This meeting was the follow up to the ideas laboratory on urban nodes held in Munich in November 2016.

Italian Tunnelling Conference, Verona 23 February 2017

Coordinator Cox addressed the Italian tunnelling conference in Verona, presenting the Scandinavian-Mediterranean Core Network Corridor from a European perspective.

Visit of the TEN-T ports of Bremen and Bremerhaven, 20-22 February 2017

Mr Cox visited the ports of Bremen, the Bremen Freight village, the port of Bremerhaven and several projects within the city on urban mobility solutions. Coordinator Cox also met with representatives and politicians from the region and the different transport authorities.

Visit to Finland and Russia, 30 January-1 February 2017

Coordinator Cox met with Finish Transport Minister Anne Berner, Member of Finish Parliament Oli Rehn and former Finish PM Paavo Lipponen to discuss a possible extension of the TEN-T corridors and the next multiannual financial framework.

Mr Cox also met with representatives from Vyborg (Russia), Imatra, Kouvoula, Luumaki and Laparenta (Finland) to discuss the EUs TEN-T corridor and core and comprehensive network policy and the specific needs of the regions more in detail.

Visit to Malta, Valetta 12-13 January 2017

Coordinator Cox met with the Maltese Minister of Transport Joe Mizzi, officials from the ministry of Transport and visited the Kappara project.

ScanMed ideas laboratory on Urban Nodes, Munich 17-18 November 2016

Coordinator Cox attended an Ideas Laboratory meeting on urban nodes, hosted by Munich Airport and the Bavarian Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport. The participants were all urban planners and had no specific experience with the TEN-T policy.

After Mr. Cox introduced the TEN-T and CEF policy the participants from Malta, Hamburg, Hannover, Berlin, Munich, Malmö and Turku discussed the following points:

• Planning dense and human scale cities.
• Liveable cities
• Optimizing the road network and its use.
• Encourage walking and cycling.
• Model areas for sustainable urban development
• New technologies for clean buses

Coordinator Cox also participated in a meeting with Mr Schutz, Head of the Infrastructure department of the Bavarian Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport.

At the meeting Mr Cox gave a short overview of the TEN-T policy and explained the concept of core network corridors. With regard to the ScanMed corridor Mr Cox underlined the importance of the access routes to the Brenner Base Tunnel, in particular in South Tyrol and in Bavaria. Mr Cox also referred to the need for accompanying policy measures to avoid that the new infrastructure will be sub-optimal.

European Economic and Social Committee conference "Shaping the future for the European Core Network Corridors, Milan, 24-25 October 2016

Coordinator Cox, participated in the EESC conference "Shaping the future for the European Core Network Corridors”. The conference was attended by various high level speakers and participants from industry associations, trade unions, public authorities, infrastructure managers and project promoters. Mr Cox referred in his speech to TEN-T as the most ambitious infrastructure planning ever combined with the largest EU co-funding ever. He explained that multi-level corridor governance must be based on a bottom-up approach. Local ownership makes infrastructure projects acceptable.

The CEO of Ferrovie dello Stato, Mr Mazzoncini, announced that until 2026 Italy will invest 56 billion EUR in rail infrastructure. Interoperability problems need to be tackled as soon as possible to avoid that road transport, including passenger transport, takes over completely.

Representatives from the project promoters (Gotthard tunnel, Øresund forum, Brenner Base Tunnel, Fehmarn Belt Fixed link, Lyon-Turin, Naples-Bari and the third Giovi tunnel) presented their projects.

Fehmarnbelt Days 2016, 21 and 22 September 2016, Hamburg

Mr Cox participated in a panel discussion on How to unlock potentials for growth and development in the Fehmarn Belt region. Mr. Cox explained the functioning of the TEN-T policy, the CNCs and role of the EU coordinators. He emphasised that a well-developed and connected European transport system is essential also for regional growth and development.

Coordinator Cox also participated in a seminar on cooperation between the two major projects of the ScanMed Corridor, the Fehmarn Belt Fixed Link and the Brenner Base Tunnel. Mr. Cox delivered his opening remarks on the overall EU politics on infrastructure and participated in a signing ceremony of the cooperation agreement between BBT SE, Femern A/S, BCP and STRING. The agreement will allow the two projects to share experiences and learn from each other both in terms of technical and scientific innovations, communication initiatives.

Coordinator Cox also participated in a discussion with politicians and other stakeholders of the Fehmarn Belt region. Discussion points included the need for a smooth process for the Fehmarn Belt Fixed Link and concerns for the current border controls between Germany and Denmark and Denmark and Sweden.

Mr. Cox was invited to speak at the conference of the CEF financed project GREAT (Green Region with Alternative Fuels for Transport). In his speech Mr. Cox brought up the European emission targets and joined in a panel debate on potential solutions to decarbonisation.

ESPO conference, 2-3 July 2016, Dublin

Coordinator Cox attended a meeting with Nordic core ports, initiated by the sea port's associations of Sweden, Finland, Denmark and Norway. The aim of the meeting was to build a network of Nordic ports and to discuss how they can play a more important role on the ScanMed corridor. Mr Cox reported on his mission to Kiruna and Luleå. He explained the TEN-T framework with the revision process of the core network starting in 2023 and the possibilities to change the alignment of the corridors as of 2020.

Mr Cox gave a keynote speech at the conference, containing an overview of the TEN-T policy, core network corridors and the role of the Coordinators. He also touched on the important software of transport infrastructure policy: innovation, ITS, urban nodes and smart logistics.

Visit to Northern Sweden, 30 May to 2 June 2016, Lulea-Kiruna

Coordinator Cox visited Northern Sweden to discuss regional issues with representatives from Norway, Sweden and Finland, regional and local stakeholders and representatives of industry. Main subject of the interventions of Mr Cox was the extension of the ScanMed corridor further north connecting to the Arctic sea. Coordinator Cox explained that the extension of the corridors, within the framework of the core network, has to be discussed in the context of the new CEF as from 2020.

During the days in northern Sweden the Coordinator participated in several meetings with representatives from ministries and national agencies. Among the participants was Mr. Erik Bromander, State Secretary Ministry of Enterprise and Innovation and Juhani Tervala, Director, Finnish Transport Agency. Mr. Cox also had the opportunity to listen to several presentations from regional stakeholders and academia on the need for a well-connected infrastructure with a high degree of innovation in northern Scandinavia.

Mr. Cox also participated in a high level meeting and study visit to LKAB mine in Kiruna. Competitiveness in the Arctic, new infrastructure, ETS and the role of iron ore for European industry were among the discussed topics. After the study visit Coordinator Cox was welcomed to city hall by Kristina Zakrisson, Mayor of Kiruna.

A meeting was also held with the Chairman of the Swedish Shippers´ Council Mr. Per Bondemark. Meetings and discussions were also held between Coordinator Cox and the Ports of Narvik and Luleå

Meeting with TEN-T Coordinators with Minister Dobrindt, 12 May 2016, Berlin

Coordinator Cox participated in a meeting together with all the coordinators dealing with the corridors crossing Germany. German minister Alexander Dobrindt attended the meeting to present the German Federal Investment Plan 2030.

Following the presentation from the minister Coordinator Cox expressed his satisfaction over the fact that the southern access route to the Fehmarn Belt Fixed Link and the northern access route to the Brenner Base Tunnel have been earmarked as absolute priority in the Federal Infrastructure Plan.

Both access routes facilitate the two major cross-border projects Fehmarn Belt Fixed Link and Brenner Base Tunnel and have a clear EU added value. They are of great importance to growth and economic development for all the regions in these areas.

Mr Cox also mentioned the impact of the plan approval process on the planning and timely completion of major infrastructure projects in the context of the recent developments concerning the Fehmarn Belt Fixed link.

Participation in ScanMed ideas laboratory on Rail Road terminals and study visit from Ostholstein to BBT, 19 to 21 April 2016, Verona-Innsbruck

Coordinator Cox invited Rail Road terminals to participate in a ideas laboratory on development and management issues for rail-road terminals. More than half of the relevant terminal sites participated in the event hosted by Consorzio ZAI, manager of the Interporto Verona. Among the discussion topics were consequences of train length and electrification requirements, terminal capacity, funding opportunities, sustainability, security and the digital agenda.

On the basis of a visit made in October 2015 to the region of Ostholstein Coordinator Cox invited stakeholders from public authorities, tourist industry, supporters, and opponents to the Fehmarn Belt Fixed Link to a visit to the Brenner Base Tunnel project. The aim of the visit was to learn from the experiences of another large scale project which is already under construction since 2009.

The visit was an opportunity for Coordinator Cox to have a discussion with the delegation on the requirements for creating support for a big infrastructure project. Among the conclusions of Coordinator Cox were that there is too much distance between the Danish project promoter and the local population on the German side.

Participation in STRING conference, 8 April 2016, Stockholm

Coordinator Cox was key note speaker at the conference Connectivity in Scandinavian and Northern European Infrastructure. Mr Cox delivered the key note speech in the presence of Swedish State Secretary for Transport, Mr Erik Bromander, and the Director-General of the Swedish Transport Agency, Ms Lena Erixon.

Mr. Cox was also invited to attend a lunch meeting with politicians and speakers including Mr. Wolfgang Schmidt, State Secretary of the City of Hamburg, Ms. Anke Spoorendonk – Minister of Justice and European Affairs, Schleswig-Holstein and Ms. Karin Svensson Smith, Chair of the Transport Committee in the Swedish Parliament. Mr Cox explained the role of the Coordinator and the European vision for the Fehmarn Belt Fixed Link. While fully respecting the autonomous approval process in Germany the coordinator called upon the authorities to make available as many administrative resources as possible to allow for a speedy progress.

Coordinator Cox also participated in a bilateral meeting with Femern A/S. Main topics for discussion was the plan approval process in Germany and the decision by the Danish politicians to move forward with the contracting process for the construction of the tunnel.

Meetings with mayors of the Brenner Corridor, Brixen, Fortezza, Bolzano, 15 to 17 March 2016, Steinach

Coordinator Cox attended the meeting of the Brenner Corridor Platform (BCP) were he had the opportunity to reinforce the role of the BCP, to prepare the revision of the Brenner Action Plan (BAP) and to create local support for the BBT and the access routes.

Coordinator Cox also participated in the meeting of the Intergovernmental Committee Austria-Italy (CIG). The Coordinator expressed his deep satisfaction for the progress that has been made with the help of the CIG. Mr. Cox underlined the need for progress on the northern and southern access routes.

Coordinator Cox was invited to a bilateral meeting with Governor Kompatscher of South-Tyrol. The main point of discussion was the extension of the current A22 motorway concession.

Coordinator Cox also participated in the yearly meeting with the mayors along the Brenner Corridor. Mr. Cox explained that the BBT project reached one of the highest scores and received the biggest amount of CEF co-financing in the latest CEF call. All mayors underlined the need for the timely delivery of the access routes, in particular Lot 1 between Fortezza and Ponte Gardena.

After the meeting with the mayors Mr Cox officially opened the BBT Information centre in Steinach, together with Governor Platter of Tyrol. Mr. Cox participated in a number of press interviews in connection the opening ceremony.

Brenner Corridor Platform – chairs meetings,  Munich, 15 February 2016

Mr. Leo Huberts from the European Commission participated on behalf of Coordinator Cox at the Brenner Corridor Platform (BCP) chairs meeting in Munich.

Coordinator Pat Cox has together with the BCP showed a commitment to the future operation and actions of the Brenner Corridor Platform and its members. The process of revising the so called Brenner Action Plan in order to present a final draft at the plenary meeting on 16 March 2016, was discussed.

A Report was given from the BCP working groups on Infrastructure, Terminals, Environment, Communication, Accompanying measures and Interoperability

Brenner corridor platform – chairs meetings, Innsbruck, 4 December 2015

Mr. Leo Huberts from the European Commission participated on behalf of Coordinator Cox at the Brenner Corridor Platform (BCP) chairs meeting in Innsbruck.  Leo Huberts reports that Mr. Pat Cox met the Italian Minister Delrio in Rome and repeated the importance of the Italian participation in the BCP.

A Report was given from the BCP working groups on Infrastructure, Terminals, Environment, Communication, Accompanying measures and Interoperability

• Infrastructure: New proposals for studies were discussed for example on Passenger service concepts, Study for the northern access route and a study on the RoRo.
• Terminals: In 2011 a report was elaborated in which all the characteristics of the terminals were collected. This report has been updated in the last months.
• Environment: The working group reported on its aim to finish its monitoring report until March 2016.Some data about air quality and noise was presented which showed that since 2008 air pollution along the motorways is decreasing. Nonetheless it is still exceeding the EU limits. Possible new measures, mostly concerning noise reduction, were discussed.
• Accompanying measures: It was concluded that the development and even update of transport policy measures is dependent on participation from ministerial level in Austria and Italy. Stronger involvement of the European Commission in the Zurich process (both on political and expert level) is required.

Meeting with Minister Delrio and Friend of TEN-T, Rome, 24-25 November 2015

Mr Pat Cox together with Coordinators Brinkhorst and Secchi participated in a meeting with the new management of the Italian ministry.  The new structure of the Ministry was introduced and explained, in particular the role of the new "Unità Tecnica di Missione". This department used to be in charge of the strategic projects at national level but will now have an advisory function on project development and assessment and on monitoring tendering and project implementation.

The coordinators also participated in a meeting with Minister Delrio. Among the key topics discussed were the state of play of the corridors, airports and port reform, EFSI and the new structures of the Ministry.

In addition to the meeting with the Minister the coordinators also met with MP's and senators of the Italian Parliament under the head line Friends of the TEN-T. Speakers underlined the importance of local contacts as a bridge between the large infrastructure projects and the communities. MP's, senators and coordinators can play an important role in this process. Main points of the meeting included the need for a trilateral proposal IT-AT-DE to consider the access routes as cross-border access routes (40% co-funding), state of progress access routes, Brenner Corridor Platform and infrastructure project financing.

TEN-T Seminar of European Coordinators, Brussels, 15-16 October 2015

Coordinator Cox, together with the other coordinators participated in a dinner meeting with representatives of DB Netz AG and Deutsche Bahn.  The coordinators were presented with some facts and figures of DB AG and then discussed issues such as project prioritization, cooperation between Rail Freight Corridors and Core Network Corridors, ERTMS Deployment on the German network and the Bundesverkehrwegeplan for Germany. 

DB Netz shared that the 6 Corridors crossing Germany will impose an investment of roughly 50 billion EUR for its rail network. DB Netz is very supportive to ERTMS as a backbone to automation; it fully supports the deployment plan as proposed by Coordinator Vinck.

Concerning Rail Freight Corridors (RFC) the Coordinators encouraged a close cooperation between the RFCs and CNCs; for the short-term a common approach towards Rail Road terminals is needed.

DB Netz also showed interest to use the Corridors to help develop positive framework conditions on issues that will not easily or swiftly be addressed by legislation; for example permitting and administrative obstacles, technical and operational requirements and accompanying measures. This view was welcomed by the Coordinators.

Meetings with Chamber of Commerce, Local and Regional authorities and The Tourist Sector, Lübeck/Fehmarn, Schleswig-Holstein, 12-14 October 2015

On the 13-14th of October Coordinator Cox visited the region of East-Holstein for the first time in his role as coordinator. During two days Mr Cox met with the main regional and local representatives, industry, port authorities and citizens. The visit allowed for the Coordinator to explain his role, the European vision and future expectations for the Fixed Link. He learned through the discussions that the German plan approval process for the Fixed Link will not be finalized before 2017. He responded that he will fully respect this autonomous process, but calls upon the authorities to have as many administrative resources as possible to allow for a speedy progress.

The European Coordinator learned about the importance of the tourist sector in East-Holstein. He also understood the impact of Deutsche Bahn for terminating their train services during the construction period of the Fixed Link.

Coordinator Cox also took part in a Meeting with the Chamber of Commerce, IHK Lübeck and the port authorities of Lübeck. The main topics of this meeting were the Fehmarn Belt Fixed Link: its opportunities and challenges, and the Port of Lübeck. The plans for an integrated 2030-port vision was presented by the port of Lübeck and discussed. 

The European Coordinator participated in an in-depth meeting with Mr Rüder (Kreispräsident East-Holstein), Mr Sager (Landrat East-Holstein) and Mr Döring (Europa-Union). The Coordinator explained the reason for his visit and underlined the priority that the Fixed Link has from a European point of view.

Urban Node Berlin-Brandenburg Conference, Berlin, 21-22 September 2015

On 21 and 22 November 2015, Coordinator Cox participated in the second high-level conference on urban node issues. Around 100 European and local participants discussed the progress of the coordination of urban transport related issues in the node of Berlin-Brandenburg.

The conference started on Monday 21 September with a high-level plenary session and continued on 22nd September with dedicated workshops on passenger and freight related issues.

At the end of the first morning session, a cooperation agreement between public and private entities in the node of Berlin-Brandenburg was handed over to the European Coordinators and Members of the European Parliament, setting out the way forward for enhanced cooperation.

The conference was a success both in terms of networking, passing on messages about the TEN-T policy and deepening the topic of urban nodes in the concrete case of Berlin-Brandenburg at the beginning of the reflections about the future issue paper on urban nodes. One lesson was that urban nodes need to be considered in a wider sphere than the city itself, as connections with the surrounding region are of crucial importance for both sides.

Brenner corridor meetings: mayors, governors, BBT SE, CIG, BCP, Trento, Bolzano 15-16 September 2015

On the 15^th of September, Coordinator Cox attended a meeting with the Italian mayors of the Brenner corridor organised by the province of Trento. The Coordinator made clear that the BBT is the top priority for the Commission while also calling for concrete action on the Southern Access route of the tunnel.

The Coordinator also attended the technical committee of the Action Community Brennerbahn. Coordinator Cox presented some key messages on the BBT project including the need for a cost-effective and timely completion of the project that has received the biggest financial EU support under CEF call 2015: €1.2 billion. At the request of the Coordinator the visit of assembly hall for the tunnel boring machine in Mules was combined with a meeting with the staff of BBT SE. Mr Cox took the opportunity to thank the staff for the excellent work they are performing.

On the 16^th of September Mr Cox met with the Governor Kompatscher from South-Tyrol, Governor Rossi from Trento and the president of the Parliament of Tyrol Mr. Van Staa. The CEO's of BBT SE, Mr Bergmeister and Mr Zurlo also attended the meeting. The Coordinator repeated the key messages of the meeting with the mayors the day before.

Coordinator Cox also participated in the CIG meeting hosted by the Prefect of the Province of Bolzano, Mrs Margiacchi. At the meeting an update on the BBT project was given by BBT SE. Mr Cox summarised again the results of the 2014 CEF call and made clear that the BBT is the top priority for the Commission.

After the CIG Coordinator Cox attended a meeting with the mayors of North and South Tyrol were the key messages were repeated.

The mission was concluded with a meeting of the Brenner Corridor Platform. In his opening statement Coordinator Cox raised the importance of a successful future of the Brenner Corridor Platform, with the intermediate goal to revise and update the Brenner Action Plan until June 2016.

TEN-T Coordinator's visit to BMVI, Berlin, 11-12 February 2015

On the 11-12 February Coordinator Cox together with the other TEN-T Coordinators participated in meetings with the federal Ministry in Berlin and Minister Dobrindt.

During the meeting with Mr Dobrindt, the coordinators of the six corridors running through Germany presented the main issues with regard to the German sections and projects on their corridor. Coordinator Cox presented an update on the Scandinavian-Mediterranean corridor after which an exchange of views with the minister took place. Presentations were also made by the coordinators for ERTMS and for Motorways of the Sea.

Minister Dobrindt commented on the importance of increased investment in infrastructure; the minister referred to the investment package of 10 billion Euro (of which some 200 million for ERTMS projects) for the period 2016-2018 presented by the finance ministry in December last year;

At the end of the meeting minister Dobrindt expressed the will for a continuous strong cooperation between the federal ministry and the coordinators and DG MOVE services.

Meetings with EESC, BMVIT and CIG and Coordinators seminar with EIB, Brussels/Vienna/Luxembourg, 13-16^th of January 2015

On the 13^th of January the Coordinator met with Mr Stefan Back, representing the employers group of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC). Mr Back informed on the EESC "EU transport policy and project participation guidelines" that will be finalised in 2015. Mr Cox explained that the work of the Corridor Forums will continue in 2015 and 2016 and that communication will be an important part of the activities.

On the 14^th of January Pat Cox participated in a meeting with Minister Stöger Federal Minister for Transport, Innovation and Technology (BMVIT). The Coordinator provided the Minister with a short overview of the new TEN-T policy, including corridor approach, work plan, CEF and the Juncker plan. He also explained his expectations as regards progress of the Brenner Base Tunnel and access routes. Minister Stöger appreciated the Coordinators view on the BBT project and the need for accompanying measures.

After the meeting with the Minister the Coordinator participated in the CIG meeting on the BBT. Coordinator Cox noted with satisfaction that continuation of the activities in the coming years is ensured by the BBT SE decision to launch the tendering procedures of three main construction lots. It was proposed that the Coordinator should have the role in the BBT SE Supervisory Board, similar to the role of Coordinator Brinkhorst in LTF (member without voting right).

On 15 January, Coordinator Cox participated in a seminar with all the coordinators were they discussed the approval of the corridor work plans, the preparation of the annual activity report and the hearings in the European Parliament.

On 16 January, EIB gave a number of presentations on the funding possibilities under the Juncker plan. Exchanges of views took place with the EIB about the use of CEF funding and the complementarity of action with the EIB initiatives.

Trelleborg Transport Conference, meetings with Femern A/S, Banendanmark, Copenhagen/Malmo port and Copenhagen airport, Trelleborg/Copenhagen, 14-15 October 2014

Coordinator Cox attended a meeting with Femern A/S on the 14 October and was provided with background information about the planning, construction and financing model of the project. Mr Cox thereafter presented the overall functioning of the TEN-T and CEF policy. The Coordinator proposed to organise a joint meeting with Fermern A/S, Denmark, Germany and the Coordinator at the occasion of the International Transport Forum in Leipzig in May 2015.

On the 14 of October Coordinator Cox participated in the Trelleborg Transport Conference in southern Sweden. Mr Cox participated as a speaker making his main statements on the TEN-T policy and the Corridors as enablers for coordinating necessary investments in the EU transport system. 

On the 15^th of October Mr Cox was interviewed by the Danish newspaper Morgenavisen. In the interview he explained the objectives of the TEN-T and CEF policy and underlined the important position of the Fehmarn belt Fixed Link on the ScanMed corridor.

After the interview the Coordinator participated in a meeting with Banendanmark

Meeting with Dr Grube, CEO Deutsche Bahn AG, 3 September 2014

On 3rd September 2014, the European Coordinators who are leading the Corridors crossing Germany had the opportunity to jointly meet the CEO of Deutsche Bahn to discuss the EU core network policy. Participants:

• Deutsche Bahn: Dr Grube, Fried, Miram, Sellnick, Lueberrink
• European Coordinators: Ana Palacio, Pat Cox, Mathieu Grosch, Carlo Secchi, Karel Vinck

All participants confirmed the importance of this joint meeting. Mr Grube invited the Coordinators to a follow-up meeting with the DB Board before the end of this year. The following issues were raised by the Coordinators: Germany should make the use of CEF budget more attractive for rail infrastructure managers; lack of private investment; standardisation of equipment to be imposed on suppliers; external dimension TEN-T; need for accompanying measures; financial support for noise protection measures; the need to move from a conversation on design to a conversation on implementation.
Dr Grube stated that in the beginning DB was quite reluctant towards TEN-T. However, this attitude has changed completely. TEN-T offers a chance for leadership to develop a real transport network. DB is an international operator. In this context core network corridors are of the highest priority and instrumental for achieving such international market. Mr Grube also said that he appreciates the open and constructive dialogue.

Mr Pat Cox, European Coordinator
To contact Mr Cox, please use the advisor email below

Mr Martin Zeitler, Adviser of the European Coordinator
martin.zeitler@ec.europa.eu

Postal Address:
Scandinavian-Mediterranean CNC / TEN-T
Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport
Rue de Mot 28
1049 Brussels
Belgium

SCM stakeholder list

SCM project list

CNC Fora

Agenda I
Agenda II
Agenda III
Agenda IV
Agenda V
Agenda VI
Agenda VII
Agenda VIII
Agenda IX
Agenda X
Agenda XI
Agenda XII
Agenda XIII
Agenda XIV

Working Group meetings

Agenda Ideas Lab Ports 2016
Agenda Ideas Lab roads ITS 2017
Agenda Ideas Lab RRT 2016
Agenda Ideas Lab Urban Nodes 2016
Agenda Ideas Lab Urban Nodes II 2017
Agenda Working Group Ports 2014
Agenda Working Group regions 2014
Agenda Ideas Lab Cross-Border Rail I 2017
Agenda Ideas Lab Cross-Border Rail II 2018
Agenda Ideas Lab Cross-Border Rail III 2019
Agenda Ideas Lab Passenger Rail 2019

Maps

Scandinavian-Mediterranean TEN-T Corridor Compliance Maps

Scandinavian-Mediterranean TEN-T Corridor map

Workplans

1st Scandinavian-Mediterranean TEN-T Corridor work plan

2nd Scandinavian-Mediterranean TEN-T Corridor work plan

3rd Scandinavian-Mediterranean TEN-T Corridor work plan

4th Scandinavian-Mediterranean TEN-T Corridor work plan

5th Scandinavian-Mediterranean TEN-T Corridor work plan

Scandinavian-Mediterranean TEN-T Core Network Corridor – Project list, 06/06/2017

Scandinavian-Mediterranean TEN-T Core Network Corridor – Annex 3 ‐ List of projects

Studies

Scandinavian-Mediterranean Core Network Corridor Study (2014)

Scandinavian-Mediterranean Core Network Corridor Study (2017) - Final Report on the Elements of the Work Plan

Scandinavian-Mediterranean Core Network Corridor Study (2017) - Final Report on the Wider Elements of the Work Plan