Almost a third of the amount invested so far has come from Community sources.2 The individual European citizen may not however always find it easy to see the results of the overall TEN-T policy or the European added value generated by the contributions from the Community. Objectives have been rather broad, which has made it impossible to meet them in full with the instruments available. In certain respects, they may also have lacked specificity, which has made it difficult to focus action and generate effective impacts and visible results. The Commission therefore believes that it is not only time to ask why the objectives have only been partially achieved but also whether these objectives are still sufficient to give forward-looking answers to future problems, and what means are needed to fully achieve tomorrow's TEN-T policy objectives.

While transport policy aims to promote economically and environmentally efficient, safe and secure transport services within the internal market and beyond, TEN-T policy needs to ensure that they operate to best effect, based on an integrated and innovative infrastructure that keeps pace with technological developments in the energy, infrastructure and vehicle3 sectors. It should reflect, more than it has so far, established European objectives – not only in the transport sector but also in the wider political, socio-economic, environmental and institutional context.

In addition to strengthening TEN-T's role within the Lisbon Agenda, Europe's growing global role requires due attention to be paid to the development of future TEN-T policy. Europe's economic growth and the creation of jobs also depend on its international competitiveness, which needs to be supported by good transport connections with other parts of the world. Good connections to all of Europe's immediate neighbours, including Africa, are furthermore vital from an economic, political and security point of view.

Over and above everything else, the fight against climate change requires Europe-wide measures to underpin Europe's leading role in the world. Transport and transport infrastructure are areas which offer considerable potential for positive contributions.

Climate change objectives should be placed at the centre of future TEN-T policy and be reflected in a truly European approach. Through a process that integrates economic and environmental objectives, is clearly oriented towards the needs of efficient freight and passenger services on a co-modal basis and involves innovation, future TEN-T policy should provide a sound basis for an effective contribution to the Community's climate change objectives.

All this justifies undertaking a fundamental review of TEN-T policy rather than just reviewing and possibly updating outline plans and priority projects. While building on the experience gained and the results achieved so far, the policy approach needs first to be subject to a broad review. Given the scope of the task – in political, socio-economic, environmental, institutional, geographical and technical terms – the Commission seeks to involve stakeholders on as broad a basis as possible, so as to ensure that available expert knowledge, experience and views are duly taken into account. This is why the Commission is beginning the TEN-T review process with a Green Paper, summarising its current reflections and inviting contributions, before coming up with possible legislative and other proposals.

1 Decision No 1692/96/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on Community guidelines for the development of the trans-European Transport Network, as last amended by Decision No 884/2004/EC of 29 April 2004

2 Grants from the TEN-T budget, the Cohesion Fund and the European Regional Development Fund, plus loans from the European Investment Bank