Trans-European Transport Network Executive Agency. Biennial Report TEN-T Executive Agency

Transcription

1 Trans-European Transport Network Executive Agency Biennial Report TEN-T Executive Agency

2 Europe Direct is a service to help you find answers to your questions about the European Union. Freephone number (*): (*) Certain mobile telephone operators do not allow access to numbers or these calls may be billed. More information on the European Union is available on the Internet ( Cataloguing data can be found at the end of this publication. Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union, 2013 ISBN doi: /13980 European Union, 2013 Reproduction is authorised provided the source is acknowledged. Printed in Belgium P - (ECF)

3 Introduction Dirk Beckers, Executive Director The Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) Programme plays an important role in realising an integrated, technology-led and user-friendly transport system that has a positive effect on European mobility and economic growth and job creation in Europe key factors for the competitiveness of the European Union. The TEN-T Executive Agency (TEN-T EA) is responsible for executing the TEN-T budget and ensuring an effective and effi cient follow-up of the technical and fi nancial management of the TEN-T projects, thus playing an important role in ensuring the implementation of the TEN-T network and improving European mobility as a whole. While DG Mobility and Transport (DG MOVE) addresses any policy issues relating to the TEN-T Programme, the Agency s role is to monitor and manage all open TEN-T projects from the and funding periods including over 8 billion from the programme alone. The end of 2012 saw the Agency wrap up its fi ſth year of operation, growing from a few staff in start-up offi ces at DG MOVE to a 100-person strong organisation working at full capacity to achieve its objectives and produce proven results. I am pleased to present this brochure, our second Biennial Report, which gives a snapshot of some of the Agency s key results and achievements realised over the past two years which have contributed to its on-going dedication to fulfi lling its mission: to support the European Commission and TEN-T project managers and promoters and ensure the successful implementation of the TEN-T Programme. The Agency s main objectives are: Supporting the completion of TEN-T infrastructure by effectively managing the overall TEN-T project lifecycle from evaluation to closure putting in evidence the Agency s expertise. Increasing awareness of the Programme, the Agency and its achievements and improving support to partners. Improving the effi ciency of operations by streamlining working methods and developing new IT and reporting tools. Ensuring a better coordination of funds with other Union instruments and Institutional partners. Raising the profi le of Union action in the fi eld of TEN-T and in general adding value to the management of the TEN-T Programme. Supporting the Commission and leaving it free to concentrate more on policy issues. 1

4 Who we are At the beginning of 2011, the Agency had 92 staff in place, and by the end of 2012 a multi-national team of 100 had been completed, representing 19 EU nationalities. The staff includes specialists in fi nance, project management, trans- port, engineering, and legal affairs. The Agency is based in Brussels in order to ensure good co-operation with the Commission who, despite the Agency s independence, remains responsible for its supervision. The Agency is organised into four units. T2 and T3 are operational units responsible for project management. T1 is responsible for resources, external fi nancial audit and logistics. T4 is a technical and fi nancial engineering unit which provides support to operational project management tasks. The Director s own team (T0) is responsible for a number of horizontal activities: information and communication, accounting, internal control and internal audit. 2

5 What we do The Agency s specifi c tasks are defi ned in a Delegation Act which includes the regulations and procedures with which it should comply. It also formalises its relationship with the Commission which defi nes the policy, strategy, objectives and priorities for the TEN-T Programme. The Commission exercises its supervisory responsibilities over the Agency s activities through a Steering Committee with 5 members from its Directorate-Generals concerned by transport infrastructure/commission s horizontal services and an observer from the European Investment Bank. TEN-T EA carries out tasks related to the implementation of the projects, including: Carrying out the technical and fi nancial management of fi nanced projects: executing payments, project conformity checks and continuous monitoring. Visiting project sites and meeting with Members States/benefi ciaries to build close cooperation and ensure a good project follow-up. Executing onsite technical and fi nancial checks and audits. Advising on fi nancial engineering methods and Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs). Harmonising financial guidelines, simplifying administrative procedures, developing IT tools to provide statistics/data to improve project follow-up and reporting. Providing information on the programme and project developments to project promoters, Member States and the Commission. Co-ordinating with other services, EU programmes and Institutions. Approving of Strategic Action Plans, which are required to be submitted by the benefi ciaries of selected projects for assessment and approval by the Agency. The SAP lays down the basis for closer project monitoring, and is an important element in improving the quality of the follow-up of the projects. Following up of Action Status Reports, which are submitted annually by project promoters to provide a review of project performance. 3

6 The projects At the end of 2012 the Agency was managing 325 projects which are located in every Member State. They are either preparatory/feasibility studies, or construction works for transport infrastructure, for all modes of transport: Road Air/Air Traffi c Management Rail/European Rail Traffi c Management System (ERTMS) Co-modality Water Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) for road River Information Services (RIS) 30 Priority Projects and a number of horizontal priorities have also been established. As a whole, TEN-T projects should aim to: Establish and develop key links and interconnections needed to eliminate existing bottlenecks to mobility Fill in missing sections and complete the main routes especially their cross-border sections Cross natural barriers Improve interoperability on major routes The TEN-T budget is allocated to projects via Calls for Proposals launched every year, which are organised and administered by the Agency. The Multi-Annual Programme, introduced to suit the longer-term nature of TEN-T projects and address the top TEN-T priorities, accounts for % of the budget. The remaining % is allocated to the Annual Programme, which funds other projects of common interest that can also give specifi c focus to new TEN-T priorities and is more fl exible due to its annual nature. Funding is open to all EU Member States, or with the agreement of the Member State concerned, international organisations, joint undertakings or public/private undertakings or bodies. 4

7 Institutional partners and stakeholders The Agency cooperates closely not only with its immediate stakeholders, such as the TEN-T Programme s benefi - ciaries and the European Commission, but also with other services and Institutions concerned with transport infrastructure. The Agency s relationship with TEN-T benefi ciaries, its main clients, places emphasis on a transparent and mutually supportive culture. One of the key factors for the successful implementation of the TEN-T Programme and budget execution is this continuous and close cooperation. The Agency has strengthened the direct contact approach through the establishment of compulsory funding Decision preparation and kick-off meetings with benefi ciaries. The Good Practice Working Group, originally established by the Agency in 2010 and made up of benefi ciaries, Member State and Agency representatives, continued its valuable work focussing on procedural issues, good practices, constraints, identifying areas for improvement and sharing outcomes. Its results were presented at the 2011 Project Management Workshop and disseminated on the Agency website. In 2012, it was decided that in the light of the new Multi-Annual Financial Framework (MFF) for , this platform will be replaced by an Advisory Group intended to provide support and advice on the development of the project and fi nancial management for the current and future programmes. The Good Practice Working Group made up of the Agency and benefi ciary representatives has provided useful advice on project management issues and procedures Kick-off meetings ensure that projects get off on the right track 5

8 Main achievements Sound financial management In both 2011 and 2012, the Agency took measures to fully use the budget available for the TEN-T Programme and executed 100 % of the available appropriations, despite the economic crisis and project implementation delays affecting most EU Member States. This execution is impressive as it means that investment in transport infrastructure has been maintained despite the diffi cult economic circumstances. To aid a more rigorous and reliable budget execution and planning process, in 2011 a new payment monitoring module was introduced in TENtec (the information system application used for TEN-T programme management and reporting) which allows Agency project managers to estimate when payments are possible and likely to be made. This has enabled the Agency to have a more effective fi nancial planning and overall performance, and indicated the probable payment shortfall for the year, allowing mitigation measures to be put into place. The main mitigation was to advance the instalments and pre-fi nancing payments from 2012 to the end of the projects on the basis of the 2012 Action Status Reports As part of its continuing efforts to help benefi ciaries with their cash fl ow, the Agency has also improved the time it takes to process payments. In 2011, the net time to pay cost claims dropped to an average of 13 days, with 98 % of payments made on time. In 2012 this improved to an average of 12 days to pay and 99 % of payments made on time. For the gross time to pay (the time from the reception of the cost claim, without considering any suspension periods), the improvements continue year aſter year: the 2012 global target of an average of 90 days was surpassed (81 days) compared to 100 days in 2011 and 63 % within the target of 90 days compared to 58 % in A more proactive approach to project management Emphasis has been placed on a continuing close relationship between benefi ciaries and the Agency s project managers, to enable a transparent and mutually supportive culture. Annual meetings take place with the Member States in order to have a project portfolio review or discuss other bilateral issues. The use of model letters reminding benefi ciaries about deliverables and deadlines, as well as regular contact has enabled the implementation of a more pro-active approach to project management. This has made the monitoring of project implementation more effi cient and has minimised the risk of the Agency Net time to pay Gross time to pay Discussions with benefi ciaries ensure a transparent and mutually supportive culture 6

9 only becoming aware of problems that projects are facing when it is already too late to fi nd appropriate solutions or mitigation measures. In 2012 a review of the model letters and templates was carried out. Project implementation and technical assessment At the beginning of 2011, the Agency had 347 open projects from the and funding periods on its books. By the end of 2012, there were 325 open projects. The Agency continued to closely monitor the progress of projects on the basis of the Strategic Action Plan (SAP) and Action Status Report (ASR), the key tools for assessing project progress and milestones. The ASR monitoring process for the MAP projects was streamlined in 2011, leading to a quicker allocation of the yearly instalments and faster payment of related pre-fi nancing. The average response time to benefi ciaries was 14 days for both ASRs and SAPs. This quick turnaround time reinforced the Agency s good cooperation with its benefi ciaries and contributed to effective overall project management. The 2011 ASRs were very important as they were used for monitoring the progress against the revised implementation planning of the MAP Review projects. This was the last TEN-T EA project portfolio under the current FP Rail IWW ERTMS ATM Multimodal Road ITS Galileo MOS Airport Port RIS 0 16 (4 %) 4 (1 %) 1 (0.2 %) 20 (5 %) 11 (3 %) 29 (7 %) 31 (7 %) 26 (6 %) 15 (4 %) Number of projects (Total: 416 projects) 46 (11 %) (13 %) (39 %) 200 Rail IWW (10 %) ERTMS (8 %) ATM (7 %) Multimodal (4 %) Road (4 %) ITS (4 %) Galileo (3 %) MOS (3 %) Airport 52.2 (1 %) Port 56.8 (1 %) RIS 33 (0.6 %) 0 Projects under the current FP , supported by transport mode (above) and project status (below) Number of projects by project status* (Total: 438 projects) 22 (5 %) Actual TEN-T funding ( million) (Total: 5,859.4 million) 315 (72 %) 0 Cancelled Ongoing * Adopted Decisions: State-of-play 31/12/2012 3,204.5 (55 %) (23 %) Closed opportunity to identify projects unable to absorb planned EC support by the implementation deadline and to reinject unused funds in the last Call before the end of the current TEN-T Programme. The ASRs were also used in the midterm review of the 2009 EERP Call for Proposals (see next page). 7

10 European Economic Recovery Plan (EERP) Review In 2011, the Agency undertook a mid-term review of the TEN-T component of the European Economic Recovery Plan (EERP) initiated by the Commission in 2009, to assess whether it was meeting its objectives of stimulating the European economy and speeding up infrastructure construction in the Member States. The review concerned 39 projects (36 individual Decisions) selected under the EERP call for proposals: TEN-T financial support to the EERP projects Airport 3 43,2 M 9,0 % ATM 4 38,4 M 8,0 % EERP review: 36 projects reviewed Proportion of TEN-T funding by transport mode Total sum of funding = 480,4 million Port 2 18,1 M 3,8 % Road 10 93,4 M 19,4 % ITS 1 11,7 M 2,4 % IWW 1 10,6 M Multimodal 1 2,2 % 5,9 M 1,2 % Rail ,1 M 53,9 % = Number of projects Results showed that the EERP has been successful in mobilising over 3 billion of national investment in transport infrastructure and that overall it has met its strategic goals. The Multi-Annual Programme (MAP) Review The mid-term review of the Multi-Annual TEN-T Programme (MAP review), carried out in 2010, allowed a number of projects with delayed implementation to be extended up to December Projects had to respect a revised planning and/or specifi c conditions. The ASR reporting exercises were a key means of MAP review follow-up regarding the projects progress in relation to these revised plans and led to modifying Decisions. As such, the ASR offered the fi nal opportunity to identify amounts of allocated EU funds which the supported projects were not able to use by the ultimate date of implementation. These unused funds were then released for the last Call within the current TEN-T programme, resulting in the 2012 Annual and Multi-Annual Calls for Proposals (see below) launched at the end of November 2012 with a total budget of billion*. Calls for Proposals During the past two years, the Agency launched several Calls for Proposals. The Agency planned, prepared and organised the 2011 Multi-Annual Calls for Proposals, launched in June eligible proposals were submitted, requesting million in funds. Following their evaluation, 26 proposals totalling million were recommended for funding. The majority of individual funding Decisions were adopted before mid-2012, with the remaining few by the end of the year Multi-Annual Call for Proposals * since increased to billion in January 2013 Field Number of submitted eligible proposals TEN-T funding requested ( million) Number of projects selected TEN-T funding awarded ( million) ERTMS European Rail Traffi c Management System MoS Motorways of the Sea RIS River Information Services Grand total

11 2011 Annual Call for Proposals The 2011 Annual Call for Proposals was launched in January 2012, covering fi ve priorities across all TEN-T transport modes. 138 eligible proposals were submitted, and 74 proposals were recommended for funding corresponding to total TEN-T support of million. Priority Number of submitted eligible proposals TEN-T funding requested ( million) Number of projects selected TEN-T funding awarded ( million) Priority 1: Promote the development of an integrated and multi-modal transport system Priority 2 (total) Priority 2a: Studies and preparation of deployment projects contributing to mitigation and adaptation to climate change (GHG emissions) Priority 2b: Studies and works supporting the reduction of the impact of maritime transport on the environment (air pollutants) Priority 3 (total): Accelerate/facilitate the implementation of TEN-T projects Air Traffi c Management (ATM) Inland waterways (IWW) Maritime Rail Road Priority 4: Support to Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) and innovative fi nancial instruments Priority 5: Support to the long term implementation of the TEN-T network, in particular development of corridors that shall enable a coordinated implementation of the network Total

12 2012 Multi-Annual and Annual Call for Proposals Following the 2012 ASR assessment and adoption of remaining modifying Decisions stemming from the MAP review (see page 8), billion* was made available for the 2012 Multi-Annual and Annual Call for Proposals launched 28 November 2012, with a deadline for submissions in February/March Both calls have various priority areas, which in turn aim to make better use of limited EU funds through targeted actions, thus maximising the impact of the expected results in specifi c areas of TEN-T policy. Since 2011 the procedure for the evaluation and selection of proposals has been streamlined to enhance the transparency throughout the whole process. This involved a major revision of all call-related documents, including the application forms, the guide for applicants and the internet-based checklist, to simplify the procedure and increase its user friendliness. The internal evaluation documents were also revised to rationalise and further streamline the process. In both 2011 and 2012 the Agency s external evaluation exercises for the Calls for Proposals were assessed by an external independent observer. The reports by the observer highlight the high standards applied by the Agency in the external evaluation process. The Agency ensures that a fair and transparent external evaluation process takes place for the Calls for Proposals. Increasing in-house expertise for the provision of support and technical assistance as well as data analysis & statistics In 2012 the Agency made compliance with EU procurement law by the benefi ciaries a priority and has worked to increase its in-house awareness and expertise in this area. The Agency has also focused on providing support to project promoters in optimising available EU funding sources. A permanent helpdesk has been set up in cooperation with EIB/ EPEC to address specifi c questions from project promoters regarding project preparation, grant blending and the use of TEN-T fi nancial instruments. The Agency has continued to improve the statistical data available on the TEN-T Programme, and further developed a specialised data analysis on the programme implementation for both reporting, and as a tool for fi nancial planning and follow-up to ensure an effi cient and effective overall Programme implementation. 3. Increasing the visibility of the TEN-T Programme and the TEN-T Executive Agency Over the past two years, thanks to the efforts of its dissemination activities, the Agency s increased visibility has allowed for a greater knowledge of the TEN-T Programme and projects, with its benefi ts being recognised by all key stakeholders. The most signifi cant, the 10 out of TEN campaign which identifi ed concrete TEN-T project implementation successes, was fi rst launched at the Commission s TEN-T Days in Antwerp in November 2011, with the 10 (More) out of TEN follow-up produced for the Connect to Compete event in November At the Antwerp TEN-T Days conference, held in November 2011 which attracted 600 participants, the Agency proposed and developed one of the parallel workshops on the current and future EU level support for PPPs. The event in November 2012 was very successful and jointly organised for the fi rst time with the TEN-T Days and Call Info Day back to back with DG MOVE. The events, attracting 1000 attendees, were also accompanied by an Exhibition that featured innovative TEN-T projects. * since increased to billion in January

13 The Agency continued with the organisation of its own successful events, including the third TEN-T Project Management Workshop, held in February 2011 with a turnout of over 300 participants, and Calls Info Days held in June 2011 and January 2012 gathering attendees. The Agency s external website remained its key tool for visibility and dissemination, attracting 166,000 visits in 2012 an almost 10 % increase from E-Newsletters and updates were regularly sent to benefi ciaries, directly informing them of key news and event announcements. The Agency was a key exhibitor and co-organiser of TEN-T policy events in partnership with DG MOVE. As a follow-up action to contacts made at the 2011 TEN-T Days, the Agency hosted a meeting with MEP Ismail Ertug in January 2012 to present its activities, the German project portfolio and CEF information from DG MOVE. The 10 out of TEN campaigns focused on promoting TEN-T project achievements via brochures, press releases and posters and a special website section Other policy events which included Agency interventions in were several organised by the Committee of the Regions and European Economic and Social Committee, allowing TEN-T implementation information to reach a new audience of stakeholders. The Agency was also present at the DG MOVE/Danish Presidency ERTMS conference with Vice-President Kallas in Copenhagen in April Press relations and resulting mentions continued to increase over the past two years. Through the addition of a Twitter feed to the website to provide real-time news and information to journalists and followers, and the issuing of nearly 100 press releases on Calls launches, selection of individual projects and important project achievements many translated to relevant national languages TEN-T related news has been successfully diffused via the Commission s press contacts and the Agency s own specialised transport database amongst other channels. 11

14 The Agency launched a Twitter feed in 2012 to keep press and other followers up to date on all of the latest news and 4. Supporting the specific priorities of the period In 2011, the Agency supported the Commission in its priority to enhance effi ciency in the use of existing transport infrastructure by accelerating the development and introduction of intelligent transport and traffi c management systems (ITS). ITS addresses several transport modes: roads, rail (ERTMS), inland waterways (RIS), aviation (ATM) and to a certain extent maritime (MoS). ITS has the potential to maximise the capacity of existing infrastructure and provide added value services to transport users and providers, facilitating passenger and freight transport across Europe. In 2012 the Agency supported the priority established by the Commission to develop a smart infrastructure funding strategy that includes suffi cient conditionality to provide for the completion of the core TEN-T network, supports the development and deployment of technologies that improve the effi ciency of infrastructure use and address decarbonisation; and enhances the contribution of the private sector in the provision of fi nancing to TEN-T projects. The Agency has been proactively involved in a range of initiatives, which have paved the way for future developments in the use of fi nancial instruments. In 2011, the Agency started cooperating with the European Investment Bank (EIB) and participated in the EPEC (the European Public-Private Partnership [PPP] Expertise Centre) Steering Committee, providing strategic advice. Work has been ongoing in 2012 to constitute a visible PPP project pipeline with potential to exploit EU fi nancial instruments such as the Project Bond Initiative (PBI). In the 2011 Annual Call, 6 projects were already selected to receive funding for PPP project preparation. 12

15 The Agency collaborates with Commission DGs including DG REGIO, DG ECFIN, DG MOVE, DG ENER, DG CON- NECT and with the EIB on the pilot phase of the Project Bond Initiative, which was formally launched in November The Agency also has well-established contacts with the Commission s DG MARKT and DG ENV for issues involving project selection, procedures, procurement and project implementation. 5. External evaluation of the Agency During the fi rst half of 2012 the external evaluation of the fi rst three years of the Agency s operations was carried out. This is a requirement of the Council Regulation laying down the status for executive agencies and should be carried out every three years. The evaluation report is prepared for the Commission by an external consultant, and aſter verifi cation it is sent to the Agency s Steering Committee, the European Parliament, the Council and the Court of Auditors. The overall conclusions of the evaluation were very positive for the Agency. Its fi ndings are based on two main tasks: to assess the relevance, effectiveness, cost effi - ciency, benefi ts and advantages of the Agency, and to carry out a revised Cost Benefi t Analysis (CBA). In its overall conclusions the external evaluation report found that: The Agency is strongly demonstrating that it is relevant to the needs it was intended to meet, and fulfi ls its objectives and expectations. The tasks carried out by the Agency are consistent with its mandated tasks defi ned in the Commission Decision to establish the Agency and the Act of Delegation, and it is performing them in an effective and effi cient way. The Agency is operating in compliance with Council Regulation 58/2003, the Financial Regulation and its own legal framework. The organisational structure of the Agency is well suited for managing its tasks and objectives, and it is performing them in an effective and efficient way. It is a well-run organisation that has successfully met its targets. It has a very high performance in relation to project management tasks which has facilitated an improvement in the implementation of the TEN-T Programme. The level of satisfaction among stakeholders is high and the quality of services has improved in comparison with the time before the creation of the Agency. The outsourcing to the Agency remains the most cost-effective manner to ensure the management of the EU s support to the TEN-T. The CBA estimation for reconfi rms that the Agency option to manage the implementation of the TEN-T programme is the more cost-effective. Internalising the project management back to DG MOVE is not expected to be benefi cial to the TEN-T programme implementation. The Agency has enabled DG MOVE to focus on its institutional tasks and thereby improved the institutional task performance. It has established an adequate fl ow of information enabling DG MOVE to benefi t from the in-depth know-how of TEN-T projects created within the Agency. The overall conclusion is that the current set-up of the Agency is the best solution for managing the TEN-T programme and the CEF in the future. 13

16 The conclusions of the report also included a number of recommendations including maintaining dialogue with benefi ciaries and implementing bodies, developing continuous cooperation and communication between DG MOVE and the Agency, and streamlining of application procedures should continue. The full report is available from DG MOVE s website. 6. Contributing to the development of future TEN-T policy The Agency s experience gained so far has allowed it to effectively and actively contribute to the discussions on the future of the TEN-T Programme under the next fi nancial programming period ( ) and the Agency s own structure and organisation. In particular, the Agency gave input to the revision of the TEN-T Guidelines and took part in related bilateral discussions and meetings on the Guidelines and the TEN Financial Regulation with all of the EU Member States. In addition, the Agency was a member of the Commission s task force to draſt the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) Regulation and assisted DG MOVE by sending staff members to several Member States to present the revised TEN-T Guidelines and the CEF on the day of their adoption, an initiative which also helped increase the visibility of the TEN-T Programme. 7. The future perspective The Agency s main future challenges will be the preparations for the possible future extension of the Agency s mandate, preparations for the implementation of the next fi nancial perspective and the future implementation of the CEF whilst at the same time continuing to improve the technical and fi nancial management of the TEN-T projects, and fully demonstrating the added value of the Agency in contributing to the effective implementation of the TEN-T programme. Agency s added value Improved fi nancial management full budget execution and reduced time to pay More dedicated resources to better monitor the projects New project management approaches, techniques and IT tools Simplifi ed and streamlined administrative procedures Revised templates, forms and requirements Reduced reaction time to all benefi ciaries requests Focus on Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) Support to project promoters in particular expertise in fi nancial engineering, transport engineering, environmental issues and public procurement Targeted fl ow of information to stakeholders 14

17 European Commission TEN-T Executive Agency Biennial Report Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union pp. 21 x 29.7 cm ISBN doi: /13980

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