There are huge investment costs related to the Trans-European Transport network and are estimated at 700 billion euros for the core network. The overall economic impact includes the change in transport, user benefits, system operating costs and revenues, costs of externalities and investment costs (Gomez-Sanchez et al., 2015). Currently in the EU the transport industry employs around 10 million people and contributes up to 5% of the overall EU GDP (European Commission, 2011). The inability to implement the TEN-T network by the 2030 would by different scenarios generated a loss of GDP and loss of possible employment for the lower skilled jobs. With the implementing cross border projects and innovative technologies, the highest economic multipliers can be achieved. The macroeconomic situation would with the non-implementation of network result in different GDP loss in different years and by different stages of implementation of the TEN-T network. By the 2030 there could be seen a loos of 1.8% of GDP, which results in 2.570 billion euros and 730.000 jobs not created. The positive employment changes can be seen beyond the construction in planning, transport industry, communication, trade, tourism and banking. The secondary impact of the consumption and spending patterns would also contribute to the growth of the economy (Gomez-Sanchez et al., 2015).
A common integrated approach to harmonize transport with the TNT-T network can bring advantages in safety, efficiency along with the organization, greater mobility, less traffic jams and better connectivity. The transport networks can be improved with greater exploitation of different transport possibilities, since the transport is of vital importance in the overall economy and development of the nations with exports and imports. In mature economies with well-developed transport networks the transport constrains impact the competitiveness and productivity and enables people to work, to be mobile and provides other services. Further on, the integrated transport systems can contribute to the prosperity and economic growth (Banister & Berechman, 2000).
The achievements are worth the costs if they are implemented in the cost benefit way and take the CO2 emissions into an account. By implementing the sustainable technology with greener and more efficient transport systems that will enhance the public transport and the use of renewable energies the transport network can improve the overall economy of EU if the costs and benefits will not be hidden behind the further environmental pollution, to which transport contributes a great share.
References
Banister, David & Joseph Berechamn. (2000). Transport Investment and Economic
Development. United States: UCL Press.
Gomez-Sanchez, Hartwig, Johannes, Hitscherich, Karin, Killer, Maura, Krail, Michael, Sutter,
Daniel, Walter, Christopher, Wolfgang, Shade. (2015)- Cost of Non-Competition of the TEN-T. Retrieved from http://ec.europa.eu/transport/themes/infrastructure/studies/doc/2015-06-fraunhofer-cost-of-non-completion-of-the-ten-t.pdf
European Commission. (2011). White Paper: Roadmap to a Single European Transport Area
– Towards a Competitive and Resource Efficient Transport System. Retrieved from http://www.putevi-srbije.rs/images/pdf/strategija/Politika_transporta_u_Evropi_2010_2020_2050_eng.pdf
