Tackling Europe’s maintenance deficit

Afonso Brito
Policy Officer for Legal and Economic Affairs
FIEC – European Construction Industry Federation
Belgium

The efficient, safe and sustainable mobility of the future will rely on the infrastructure we have already built and we are building today. While the EU has one of the densest transport infrastructure networks in the world, a large part of this infrastructure is now ageing and coming under increasing pressure due to a rise in traffic. To add to the problem, the lack of proper level of investment in maintenance has led to the deterioration of transport infrastructure. This vulnerability is no more evident than by the malfunctioning of bridges or as observed in the poor state of some road surfaces. For this reason, the European Construction Industry Federation (FIEC) has placed a strong focus on Europe’s maintenance deficit, stressing that the continuous maintenance of existing infrastructure is vital to ensure the uniform quality of Europe’s transport network and with it contributing to its economic competitiveness, increasing the safety of its users while also reaping various environmental benefits.

A problem only getting worse

While the state of Europe’s entire transport infrastructure was already worrying, its maintenance deficit has worsened over the past decade and this comes with a high cost. In Spain, for example, a reduction in resources allocated to conservation of roads over the past decade has led to a situation that will require investments of 7,5 billion Euros to reverse. Neglecting maintenance also exposes users of our transport infrastructure to a greater risk. The deterioration of rail infrastructure in France, for example, has led to the tightening of speed limits on over 5000 kilometres of tracks over safety-related concerns. While these problems are glaringly obvious, it is no less true that neglecting maintenance has significant environmental impacts, particularly, in terms of CO2 emissions, as well as raw material consumption and waste generation. The longer a structure goes without maintenance, the larger the scale of works needed to restore it to its original condition.

Bridges in a critical state

Europe’s maintenance deficit is no better illustrated than with the deterioration of bridges. As essential connecting points, the malfunction of these structures attracts particular attention. This was the case with the collapse of the Morandi Bridge in Genova (Italy), so too with the closure of Rahmede viaduct near Lüdenscheid which caused traffic chaos on one of Germany’s main transport routes. The magnitude of this problem cannot be understated. In France, at least 25,000 bridges are in a critical state to the point that they constitute a risk for their users and have deficiencies in terms of usability, while in Germany thousands of bridges must be demolished and reconstructed because the repair would be too expensive. FIEC has been working to bring more awareness to this issue, hosting one of the largest conferences dedicated to bridge maintenance in Brussels back in June with another one planned for April 2023.

A modern Trans-European Transport Network

Despite these issues, the current legal framework at the EU-level contains limited obligations on Member States in terms of maintenance. The Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) policy, based on the TEN-T Regulation (No 1315/2013), is a core instrument at EU level for influencing Member States’ infrastructure policies. The TEN-T is an EU-wide network of rail, inland waterways, shortsea shipping routes, and roads, connecting over 400 major cities with transport hubs and, when complete, will cut travel times between these cities.

Recognising the necessity of modernising the EU’s transport system, the European Commission adopted a proposal for a TEN-T revision which comes with several important changes. It introduces more ambitious requirements for each transport mode and also more ambitious deadlines and it creates nine ‘European Transport Corridors’ integrating various transport modes (rail, road, waterways, etc.). But more importantly, the proposal comes with stricter provisions with respect to maintenance, a move FIEC has advocated for and welcomes. The proposed new rules oblige Member States to maintain the network’s infrastructure in a way that it can provide the same level of service and safety during its lifetime.

More ambition is required to tackle Europe’s maintenance deficit, one of our most pressing needs. Over the decade, maintenance of our transport infrastructure hasn’t received sufficient attention. A well-developed and well-maintained infrastructure not only avoids higher costs tomorrow but also guarantees the safety of users across Europe’s entire transport network and represents a key activity in the circular economy. FIEC will continue working towards this end.

Expert article 3317

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