European Parliament
President.
As they deal with the same subject, the following questions will be taken together:
Question No 8 by Rodi Kratsa-Tsagaropoulou 
Subject: Funding of Trans-European Transport Networks
The political agreement reached by the Council Summit in December 2005 concerning the Financial Perspective for 2007-2013 reduced the Commission's original proposal for funding of the Trans-European Transport Networks from € 20 billion to € 7 billion.
Given the importance of the Trans-European Networks for the Lisbon strategy and the operation of the internal market, does the Council believe that it is possible, with the amount of € 7 billion, to implement the thirty priority projects scheduled for the near future? Does it share the view that this significant cut by two thirds of the original provision will hold back the transport sector more broadly defined, particularly since some of these projects are already encountering problems, and how does it intend to deal with this matter during the current six months? Does it intend to seek a solution in the revision and/or suspension of some of the priority programmes?
Question No 9 by Bernd Posselt 
Subject: European Magistrale and Brenner Base Tunnel
What is the Presidency's view of the development prospects and construction schedule for the European Magistrale high-speed railway line from Paris to Budapest via Strasbourg, including its principal branch-line from Munich through the Brenner Base Tunnel to Rome  and also, in particular, as regards the German and Austrian stretches of the two lines?
Question No 10 by Stanislaw Jalowiecki 
Subject: Implementation of TEN-T projects
Attaining the goals of the Lisbon Strategy will not be possible without efficient European transport networks. The 1994 Essen summit and subsequently Commission decisions 1692/96/EC
(1)
and 884/2004/EC
(2)
and the report of the high-level group chaired by Karel Van Miert laid down Community guidelines for the TEN-T and identified 30 priority projects.
It is a matter of great concern that the project Railway axis 23  Gdansk-Warsaw-Brno/Bratislava-Venice, which is of strategic importance for the social and economic development of central Europe, has been omitted from the Commission proposal appointing coordinators for 6 of the 30 trans-European network transport projects.
Will the Austrian Presidency give priority importance to this project linking countries on the Baltic with central Europe? What progress has been made in implementing this project? How will it be financed?
OJ L 228, 9.9.1996, p. 1
OJ L 167, 30.4.2004, p. 1

