CPMR-BSC Transport Working Group Statement Concerning the Communication from the EU Commission

BALTIC SEA COMMISSION Transport Working Group http://www.balticseacommission.org/ http://www.crpm.org/

Statement concerning the communication from the EU commission: COM 608 on a rail network for freight 2008-11-27 Author: Maria Öberg

Background

Europe is facing a number of serious challenges: The global financial crisis, climate changes and increasingly intense international competition. In such a situation, wise actions that result in increased growth and employment are important. In this perspective, infrastructure is a factor of vital importance. If the European Union is to achieve the objectives that have been set in the Lisbon strategy and if growth and competitiveness are to be maintained and enhanced, we must satisfy industry’s need for rapid transport and reduced lead times. This must all be implemented while also focusing on climate, environmental and energy considerations.

Northern Europe is rich in natural resources. For instance, northern Sweden is accounting for 90% of all the iron ore mined in the EU. Mining, steel and forest products industries are key elements of Northern European economies. At the same time, they are important EU domestic sources for minerals, ore, steel, paper and forest raw materials. Several of Europe’s leading daily newspapers are printed on paper for which the raw material derives from forests in northern Europe. Large amounts of cargo are transported from the region to industrial companies in other EU countries, which depend on the raw materials and products manufactured in northern Europe.

In order to facilitate achievement of the goal of environment-friendly transportation of cargo to the European core, rail or rail/waterway transport are the preferable options.

To make the European Union a functional cooperative area and actually achieve an integration within the European Union, it is important to implement the aspect of territorial cohesion in the process of developing a rail network for freight and in the ongoing revision of the TEN-T structure.

That could also lead to new opportunities for development towards larger labour market regions, as well as an increase in opportunities for trade and travel across national borders and between regions.

The Baltic Sea Region has a special geographical position since it has an extensive border towards Russia, that is heavily relying on rail freight transport. Increased trade in the east-west direction with the adjacent regions of EU should be promoted to guarantee seamless logistic chains.

Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions of Europe, Baltic Sea Commission (CPMR-BSC), Transport Working Group Chairman of Transport Working Group: State Secretary Sebastian Schröder, Ministry for Transport, Building and Regional Development Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, 19048 Schwerin, Germany Contact: Karl Schmude, T +49 385 588 8431, F +49 385 588 8042, [email protected] Coordinator: Maria Öberg, T +46 920 28 40 16, M +46 70 296 36 36, [email protected] CPMR-BSC Transport Working Group – Statement concerning the communication from the EU commission: COM 608 on a rail network for freight, dated 2008-11-27

Northern Transport axis

The Northern Transport axis has been pointed out by EU as major transnational multimodal transport corridors1 linking EU and Russia. This axis is of high importance to rail freight in the Baltic sea area; it is however unclear how the Northern Transport axis is connected to Motorways of the Sea across the Baltic Sea and to the current TEN-T priority projects.

We believe that the Northern transport axis should be a natural part of a future rail freight network in Europe.

It could also play a major role for freight transport between Asian countries and the US via the northern EU countries. Transport within the corridor saves time, while also easing congestion in central EU countries.

Links which are already included in the communication

In general, some of the outlined corridors may have to be geographically adjusted, and several port-hinterland links should be added.

CPMR-BSC welcomes that the following important links have been included in the communication.

 Rail Baltica

 The railway line Helsinki – Lahti – Kouvola – S:t Petersburg including the port-hinterland links of Kotka/Hamina, Hanko and the link Helsinki – Riihimäki – Lahti are all part of the Nordic triangle (TEN-T priority project #12).

 North-South link, as part of the Nordic Triangle (TEN-T priority project #12), connecting Norway and Sweden to Denmark and the continent.

Other strategic links which CPMR-BSC would like to stress

The Bothnian Corridor is a strategically important link in the railway freight system. It runs from the Stockholm area along the Swedish coast via Umea to Tornio / Haparanda, thus connecting the Nordic triangle (currently TEN-T priority project #12) to the Northern axis. The coastal region around the Gulf of Bothnia and the orefields contains a number of industrial plants that are of European significance. The emphasis is on mining, metals and foundries, pulp and paper industries, sawmills and heavy engineering.

In the Southern Baltic, the East-West Transport Corridor stands out as the direct link from Klaipeda / Kaliningrad area via Karlshamn to southern Sweden and Denmark and eventually further on, and from Klaipeda / Kaliningrad area via Sassnitz to Germany and the European core.

1 Building Bridges. Extension of the major Trans-European transport axes to the neighbouring countries. Directorate-General for Energy and Transport, 2007.

2 / 3 CPMR-BSC Transport Working Group – Statement concerning the communication from the EU commission: COM 608 on a rail network for freight, dated 2008-11-27 Another link of strategic importance is the rail freight link from the “Nordic Triangle” (Priority project #12) via Trelleborg to Sassnitz and Rostock and further to Berlin – Munich – Verona (priority project #1) resp. to Berlin – Dresden – Vienna (priority project #22).

The “Baltic link” Gothenburg – Karlskrona – Gdynia to Poland and Austria is a natural link between the Nordic triangle (Priority project #12), the road/railway axis Gdynia – Vienna (TEN- T priority projects #23, #25), the “Northern Axis” via Moscow and the “Central axis” via Kiew extending further to Asian countries.