"It is of fundamental importance to defend, also in Europe, the financing of transport, and of the railway mode in particular, as a strategic lever to promote the sustainable growth of individual member states and of the EU as a whole". This is the conclusion of theCEO of the Italian State Railways Mauro Moretti, participated in the Transport Commission of the Chamber of Deputies during ainformal hearing on the new Regulation for the development of European cross-border Ten-T networks.
The proposal for a Regulation (whose definitive approval is expected by 2013) is satisfactory for engineer Moretti, but could be improved. In particular "as regards the ERDF funds (European Regional Development Fund), the new proposal not only does not include transport infrastructure among the priority interventions, but even excludes the possibility of financing them, both in the more developed regions, both in transition and less developed regions. Investments in transport should be – vice versa – admitted, obtaining the highest priority in all Regions, and the possibility of financing the purchase of rolling stock used for public transport should also be included ”she explained. It is therefore desirable for the CEO of Trenitalia "a careful supervision also in the approval process of the European regulations relating to CEF and ERDF loans, in order to intervene to amend some specific points relating to: type of expenses eligible for financing (e.g. include land expropriation); duration of the delays that generate cancellation of the contribution; timing for the completion of the actions (to avoid the risk of having to repay the loan obtained)”.
For Fsi in the transport sector, integration and intermodality are the key concepts for development. In particular, rail transport, starting from a position of natural advantage in terms of consumption and emissions, represents a privileged way to achieve the 60% greenhouse gas reduction target (compared to 1990) set by the European White Paper by 2050.
