The EU has one of the densest transport infrastructure networks in the world. Nevertheless, Europe’s transport network is far from complete and a large part of it is now ageing and coming under increasing pressure due to a rise in traffic. The maintenance deficit has led to the deterioration of transport infrastructure as demonstrated by the collapse or frequent closure of bridges or as observed in the poor state of some road surfaces.
The continuous maintenance of existing infrastructure is necessary to ensure the uniform quality of Europe’s transport network. In addition to increasing the safety of users, a well maintained and modern transport network comes with various environmental benefits, by contributing to a more circular economy (thereby reducing raw material consumption and generation of waste) and by reducing CO2 emissions.
FIEC has put a particular focus on the revision of the trans-European transport network (TEN-T) regulation – the core instrument at EU level for influencing Member States’ infrastructure policies. The revision will strengthen the approach with regards to the quality of the TEN-T infrastructure and its maintenance, including the structural stability of critical assets such as bridges and tunnels.
FIEC also places a strong emphasis on bridges, in particular the problems related to the lack of maintenance. As part of FIEC’s effort to tackle this issue, FIEC co-organised the first and second editions of the Eurobridge conference.
