Estonia, EU – Baltic States, Legislation, Transport

After the framework for the new Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) came into force on 1st January, 2014, the European Commission signed contracts with several external consultants to provide analyses and technical assistance to draft work plans for the TEN-T Core Network Corridors.

Based on an increased budget for the TEN-T in the years 2014-2020 totalling to EUR 26,3 billion, a new transport network will be developed with nine corridors forming the "Core Network" laying the foundation for a truly European transport network across 28 Member States.

http://ec.europa.eu/transport/themes/infrastructure/revision-t_en.htm

The 3200 km long North-Sea Baltic Corridor will connect the Baltic ports of Helsinki/Tallinn with the North Sea ports of Bremerhaven, Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Antwerp as well as the inland port of Brussels. It starts at the modem harbours on the Gulf of Finland of Helsinki (Vuosaari) and Tallinn (Muuga) passing south through the three Baltic States and North Eastern Poland to Warsaw. From there it follows the traditional East-West corridor to Lodz, Poznan and Berlin continuing to the ports on the North Sea coast and Brussels.

The North-Sea-Baltic Corridor crosses eight Member States and will have branches: to Ventspils in Latvia and another to Klaipeda and Vilnius in Lithuania. The Corridor will for the first time provide modern transport links between Finland, the three Baltic States and Poland, Gemany and the countries of the Single Market to the West.

Map: The North Sea – Baltic Corridor (red), excerpt from the official Core Netowork Corridor map of the European Commission.

The contract were signed as a result of open procurement procedures and the consultants will carry out their work during the next 12 months by supplying detailed descriptions of each corridor, identifying the relevant stakeholders and assist DG-MOVE in establishing a Corridor Forum. The consultants will have to produce corridor work plans, to be submitted by the European Coordinators to the Member States for approval by the end of this year.

Information on Proximare Consortium partners

TRINITI is a Pan-Baltic commercial law firm which along with its cross-border practice groups and a combined team of 50 people serves clients in the capitals of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.

TRINITI is regularly advising clients in projects relating to transport, infrastructure and logistics: completing the Rail Baltic Joint Venture Study for the governments of Estonia Latvia and Lithuania in March 2013; drafting legislative acts required for the development of Riga International Airport; representing a major Lithuanian road construction company in a tender for a PPP project for the Palanga bypass (value of approximately EUR 34 million), and continued advice for the re-structuring of the national airline Estonian Air.

Malla Paajanen Consulting specializes in the planning, management and implementation of major international projects since 1999. The consultancy is involved in fund-raising, project design, and management of major international projects in the fields of transport and logistics, tourism, investment promotion, talent attraction and business education.

Norton Rose Fulbright LLP is a global legal practice providing the world’s pre-eminent corporations and financial institutions with a full business law service. NRF has over 3800 lawyers based in over 50 cities across Europe, the United States, Canada, Latin America, Asia, Australia, Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia. Norton Rose Fulbright LLP has a dedicated rail group, including 60 partners and 86 associates. Key features of this practice group are a very broad client base, which leads to an expertise in all sectors of the rail industry. The firm is consistently highly ranked for rail by Legal 500, Chambers and other international legal directories.

Goudappel Coffeng - is the biggest (approximately 260 employees) and the oldest (founded in 1963) company for mobility planning in the Netherlands. The company has offices in Amsterdam, The Hague, Eindhoven, Leeuwarden, Deventer and Mechelen (Belgium). The Goudappel Group is fully owned by its employees. Over 85% of the staff holds shares in the company. The firm’s activities are centred in three main lines of work: advisory services, software solutions and process outsourcing. Goudappel Coffeng has thorough experience and knowledge in data collection, data analyzing, and transport modelling. The company also has knowledge of the European TransTools transport model which can help in analyzing the use of transport systems and can deliver the information needed for defining the bottlenecks for all modalities. This will also be very helpful regarding the activities for the TENtec information system which will be one of the defined tasks.

IPG Potsdam - IPG Infrastruktur- und Projektentwicklungsgesellschaft mbH strength is based on the competence of its 20 employees. In addition to their profound knowledge, they also possess the necessary social ability to manage complex and demanding tasks. IPG’s services focus on a broad range of infrastructure and transport development: ranging from the reconstruction of railway stations via the revitalization and conversion of industrial contaminated areas up to the development of modern logistics center and freight villages. Based on numerous project developments IPG disposes of well-developed networks and cooperation with many important institutions like ministries, banks, research institutions and partners from the transport industry.

In addition to the consortium Partners the Proximare Consortium enjoys the support of seven Sub-Contractors and the following Associate Partners:

• City of Helsinki, • Port of Helsinki, • Port of Hamburg, • City of Berlin, • City of Kaunas, • Corridor2, EUREGIO, • Aalto University School of Business, Centre for Markets in Transition, • LogisticsNet Berlin-Brandenburg, • Brandenburg Economic Development Board (ZAB), • VDV Association of German Transport Companies, • Deutsche GVZ-Gesellschaft (DGG)

„These are very important studies to evaluate the accuracy of the long-prepared investment plans of the EU before major financing will be committed to European infrastructure“, said Tõnis Tamme, partner of TRINITI Estonia adding: “We are extremely proud of the fact our international partners in the Proximare consortium entrusted the experience of TRINITI to act as lead, as it is a great opportunity to implement our know-how gained from previous large transport and infrastructure projects.”

The Project Manager of Proximare Malla Paajanen added: „The North Sea – Baltic Corridor improves dramatically the accessibility of Finland and the Baltic States as it connects us strategically to the logistic hubs of Central Europe and Europe’s three largest ports Rotterdam, Hamburg and Antwerp. This is a huge business opportunity for all concerned.”