MEMO/08/98 Slovakia – Operational Programme 2007-2013: Transport

1. Operational Programme “Operational Programme Transport 2007-2013” – Programme under Convergence Objective, co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the Cohesion Fund

2. Overview

On 13 September 2007, the European Commission approved an Operational Programme for Slovakia for the 2007-13 period. The Operational Programme “Transport” falls within the Convergence Objective framework and has a total budget of around €3.8 billion. Community investment through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) amounts to some €877 million, and through the Cohesion Fund to around €2.3 billion. This represents approximately 29.4% of the total EU investment earmarked for Slovakia under the Cohesion Policy for 2007-13.

3. Purpose and aim of the programme

The overall objective of the Programme is to support sustainable mobility through the development of transport infrastructure and the improvement of public passenger transport. The measures will contribute to the interconnectivity of the Slovak regions and an improved access to the Trans-European Network for Transport (TEN-T). This will contribute to the reduction of regional disparities, improve economic development and increase the competitiveness of the Slovak economy.

With major transport infrastructure lagging behind as compared to other EU Member States, Slovakia needs to concentrate on:

• the further development of highways and expressways;
• the modernisation of the railway infrastructure;
• improvements to public intermodal terminals;
• the challenges of environmental sustainability in the context of the climate change;
• support for public transportation.

The Operational Programme shall promote activities directly related to major transport infrastructure and sustainable mobility. It will therefore contribute substantially to the achievement of the Lisbon and Gothenburg strategic objectives.

4. Expected impact of the investments

The Programme will ensure the modernisation of approximately 200 km of railways, 170 km of new highways, expressway and first-class roads. This will result in timesavings of about 1 hour in passenger railway transport and 70 minutes for both passenger and freight road transport. Another result will be a decrease in the number of accidents on roads, an increase in the density of higher-class roads as well as an increase of the share of railway transport for freight.

5. Priorities

The goals of the Operational Programme “Transport 2007-2013” are to:

• construct major transport infrastructure;
• improve the accessibility of regions through investments in transport infrastructure;
• support public passenger transport.

The following priorities represent the structure of the Operational Programme "Transport 2007-2013":

Priority 1: Railway infrastructure [approximately 24.4% of total funding]

The objective of this priority is to modernise and develop railway infrastructure in the context of TEN-T. This will enhance interoperability, increase speed limits and increase operational quality and safety.

Priority 2: Road infrastructure TEN-T [approximately 30.3% of total funding]

This priority aims to contribute to the construction of new motorways in the context of access to TEN-T. This will have a significant impact on the accessibility to the major European road network, road safety and road quality.

Priority 3: Intermodal transport infrastructure [approximately 3.2% of total funding]

This priority will contribute to a network of public intermodal terminals based on the principles of sustainable mobility. This creates the basic conditions for the development of environmentally friendly transport systems.

Priority 4: Infrastructure for integrated transport systems [approximately 14.7% of total funding]

This priority seeks to integrate public railway transport into urban transportation systems. This will contribute to both public transportation and sustainable transport mobility.

Priority 5: Road infrastructure (expressways and first-class roads) [approximately 23.1% of total funding]

The objective of the further development of expressways and first-class roads is to contribute to the proportional and gradual development of national road infrastructure. This will contribute to eliminating critical bottlenecks in terms of traffic volumes and road accidents.

Priority 6: Public railway passenger transport [approximately 2.8% of total funding]

This priority aims to improve the quality of railway services and to supplement activities focusing on railway infrastructure modernisation. This measure addresses:

• the renewal of regional and inter-regional routes;
• mobility support for passengers with reduced mobility;
• support for regional and suburban transport.

Priority 7: Technical assistance [approximately 1.5% of total funding]

Technical assistance will ensure the implementation of the Programme. Financial support inter alia covers elaboration of conceptual and strategic documents, administration, monitoring, evaluation and control.

6. Managing Authority: Ministry of Transport, Posts and Telecommunications – Bratislava, Slovakia

Contact details:
Mr Dušan Rizek
Námestie Slobody 6
P.O. Box 100
810 05 Bratislava
Slovakia
Telephone: +421 259494111
Fax: +421 252494794
E-mail: dusan.rizek@telecom.gov.sk
Internet: http://www.telecom.gov.sk

7. Title: “Operational Programme Transport 2007-2013”

Intervention type: Operational Programme

CCI No.: 2007SK161PO007

No. of decision: C/2007/4299 final

Final approval date: 13/9/2007

8. Breakdown of finances by priority (in Euros)

Priority / EU Contribution / National Public Contribution / Total Public Contribution
1. Railway infrastructure / 782 746 878 / 138 131 802 / 920 878 680
2. Road infrastructure TEN-T / 972 333 473 / 171 588 260 / 1 143 921 733
3. Intermodal transport infrastructure / 102 620 947 / 18 109 579 / 120 730 526
4. Infrastructure for integrated transport systems / 471 794 200 / 83 257 800 / 555 052 000
5. Road infrastructure / 740 794 961 / 130 728 523 / 871 523 484
6. Public railway passenger transport / 88 510 567 / 88 510 567 / 177 021 134
7. Technical assistance / 48 103 569 / 8 488 865 / 56 592 434
TOTAL / 3 206 904 595 / 638 815 396 / 3 845 719 991