Rotterdam Port Authority: Invest in European Infrastructure (The Netherlands)

The Port of Rotterdam Authority and employers’ organisation Deltalinqs have called on the Dutch government to seek a maximum European contribution to the hinterland connections which are so important for the Netherlands.

In the European Union budget negotiations it is of the utmost importance that the Dutch government insists on the modernization of the EU budget, by reducing agricultural and cohesion budgets in favour of investments. The Chairman of the Port of Rotterdam Authority, Hans Smits, and the Chairman of Deltalinqs, Wim van Sluis, stated this today in an open letter to the government.

Hinterland connections

Streamlined cross-border connections to the European hinterland, for instance through the third railway track in Germany, are vitally important to the port of Rotterdam. They enable the port to maintain and strengthen its leading position as logistical hub for the European economy. Projects in the port area of Rotterdam and the rest of the Netherlands, such as the locks in Zeeland and inland waterway connections to Belgium and France, must also be able to benefit from European funding.

2014-2020 budgets

The EU budget for 2014-2020 will be decided at the end of November. The European Commission has proposed increasing the infrastructure budget for transport, energy and telecommunications to €50 billion and the establishment of the Connecting Europe Facility as a new financial instrument for this purpose. These funds will be used primarily to realise an integrated network of roads, railways, canals, airports, ports and pipelines in Europe and eliminate the bottlenecks hindering the transport of cargo, passengers and energy. The Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) should thus become a reality.

[mappress]

Press Release, November 22, 2012