The ports of Oulu and Kaskinen included in the TEN-T Regulation proposal – transport ministers reach agreement on proposal

On 5 December 2022, the EU's Transport Council adopted the general approach on the proposal for a new TEN-T Regulation. The Regulation defines a trans-European transport network (TEN-T) and issues provisions on the quality requirements for TEN-T corridors and nodes.

Finland was represented at the meeting by Timo Harakka, Minister of Transport and Communications, who was pleased to note that Finland's active lobbying had produced good results.

"Finland is a sparsely populated country and very dependent on maritime transport. Moreover, Russia's cruel war of aggression has dramatically changed our traffic flows. Our special needs were taken into account well in this respect."

"The Port of Oulu will be included in the core network and the Port of Kaskinen will remain in the comprehensive network. Connections in Eastern Finland will be secured, and the core rail network will be extended to Lappeenranta. We will preserve full national discretion concerning track gauge."

The Ministry of Transport and Communications has launched a preliminary survey of track gauge, which will be completed in March 2023.

What's next?

The position of the European Parliament is expected to possibly be released in February 2023. When the Parliament has formed its position, tri-party negotiations involving the Member States, Parliament and the Commission will be initiated to arrive at a common understanding of the proposal's final content.

Inquiries:

Johanna Juselius, Special Adviser to the Minister, [email protected], tel. +358 295 342 141

Kaisa Kuukasjärvi, Senior Ministerial Adviser, [email protected], tel. +358 50 414 0330

Noora Saarinen, Senior Specialist, [email protected], tel. +358 50 562 7044