EU transport ministers in Brussels on March 22, 2012  agreed on a €31.7-billion EU plan to remove cross-border bottlenecks, upgrading infrastructure, and streamlining cross-border transport operations  Europe’s Transeuropean Network for Transport, TEN T . The new TEN T Guidelines also include important  references to the need for infrastructure for alternative fuels

Siim Kallas, European Commissioner for Transport, said that although discussions on financing through the so-called Connecting Europe Facility CEF would still need tough discussion, the deal was “a very important achievement” that would s, tart to move Europe away from a patchwork of national networks towards a pan-European hub.

“Ministers have today given strong political backing for plans to build the strategic transport connections necessary to fuel Europe’s future economic growth,” he said.

The proposed regulation still needs to be approved by the European Parliament. The Commission says that “with political will” this could happen in the first half of 2013.