Mission & Introduction

The Trans-European Transport Network Executive Agency's mission is to support the European Commission and TEN-T project managers and promoters, by ensuring the technical and financial management of the projects and the successful implementation of the TEN-T Programme.

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An effective Trans-European Transport Network benefits all European citizens by allowing more efficient and more environmentally friendly transport, while reinforcing economic and social cohesion across the continent at the same time.

The Trans-European Transport Network is a major element for economic growth and job creation in Europe because the existence of an integrated, technology-led and user-friendly transport system is regarded as a key factor for the competitiveness of the Union. The TEN-T is essential to facilitate the mobility of persons, goods and services and thus to the establishment of the internal market and the economic and social cohesion of the Union.

Envisioning such a network, the European Commission's TEN-T programme dedicates financial support towards the realisation of important transport infrastructure projects - in line with the overreaching goal of European competitiveness, job creation and cohesion.

With these ambitions in mind, the Brussels-based TEN-T Executive Agency was created by the European Commission in 2006. The Agency is in charge of all open TEN-T projects under the 2000-2006 and 2007-2013 funding schemes. The projects represent all transport modes – air, rail, road, and maritime/sea – plus logistics and intelligent transport systems, and involve all EU Member States.

Its status as an Executive Agency means that although independent, the TEN-T EA is closely linked with its parent, Directorate-General Mobility and Transport (DG MOVE). DG MOVE deals with all policy-making issues related to the TEN-T programme, while the Agency exists to execute the programme's specific tasks with a limited duration (31 December 2015).

European Commission (DG MOVE): defines the policy	TEN-T EA: turns the policy into action
Makes political decisions regarding the TEN-T programme Defines strategy, objectives and priority areas of action Takes the final financing decisions Monitors and supervises the Agency	Implements the TEN-T programme on behalf of the European Commission and under its responsibility Efficiently manages entire project lifecycle, including: - Organising calls and evaluations - Giving support to Member States Prepares financing decisions Provides key feedback to the European Commission

The Agency's key stakeholders are the Member States, which are the beneficiaries of the TEN-T project funding. Its work aims to benefit these stakeholders by:

Simplifying administrative procedures
Reducing payment delays and reaction time on requests
Using new project management techniques & IT tools (GIS, statistical data)
Increasing the types of services available (expertise in financial engineering, transport engineering) and targeting the flow of information to project promoters, Member States and the Commission
Focusing on public-private partnerships
Improving the visibility for EU support to infrastructure projects through dissemination activities

The Agency's multi-national team of 100 staff includes specialists experienced in financial and project management, transport engineering and legal affairs.