ANNEX IISupplementary provisions
ANNEX II
Mandate letter for the European Coordinator for
the Rhine - Danube European Transport Corridor
Regulation (EU) 2024/1679 of the European Parliament and of the Council ( 1 ) provides for the appointment of European Coordinators responsible for implementation of the European Transport Corridors and of the two horizontal priorities, namely the European Maritime Space and the European Railway Traffic Management System (ERTMS).
The corridor approach allows an efficient cooperation between key actors in the management of both cross-border and national projects with a European relevance located on the corridor. The European Transport Corridors encompass all transport modes, aiming to increase the wide-scale efficiency of the European transport system. Therefore, deploying the European Transport Corridors plays a major part in reaching the Union political goals of a sustainable transport transition and strengthening the European economy.
You have accepted responsibility as the European Coordinator for the Rhine - Danube Corridor. Starting in the northern German ports of Wilhelmshaven, Bremen, Hamburg and Rostock, several multimodal axes leading towards Berlin, Hannover, Leipzig and Dresden, and on to Prague, where the Northern corridor axis meets with the more Western axis that starts in the French city of Strasbourg and moves on to the German cities of Frankfurt and Stuttgart and continues east to Prague and Munich respectively. It then leads via Austria, Slovakia and Hungary to the Romanian ports of Constanta and Galati. The axis providing a corridor connection to Slovakia further extends as far as Lviv in Ukraine. It covers rail, road, airports, ports, rail-road terminals and the inland waterway system of the Elbe main river, the Elbe Lateral Canal, a part of the Elbe Mittellandkanal, Weser, the Geesthacht Schleusenkanal and Vltava river in the northern part of the corridor and the Main, the Main-Danube Canal, the entire Danube downstream of Kelheim and the Váh, Sava and Tisza rivers. The key projects are removing the navigation bottlenecks along the Danube and other inland waterways as well as the railway cross-border sections Dresden - Prague, Prague - Vienna / Bratislava – Budapest and Budapest – Bucharest, as well as major national sections, including Stuttgart – Ulm.
The Commission is convinced that your support, on which it is counting enormously, will be crucial for the continued success of the European Transport Corridors and horizontal priorities.
Mission
The work of the European Coordinator aims to advance the overall development of the corridor through targeted coordination activities, notably in relation to project investment (synchronisation of works, allocation of national and Union funding) and, as appropriate, other specific actions to promote a competitive and resource-efficient transport system. For this purpose, the European Coordinator shall facilitate cooperation between the Member States concerned and guide the involvement of relevant stakeholders within the Corridor, Forum as well as support the preparation and implementation of Commission implementing acts referred to in Article 55 of Regulation (EU) 2024/1679, on the basis of corridor work plans referred to in Article 54 of that Regulation.
Your duties, which stem from those laid down in Article 52(5), (6) and (7) of Regulation (EU) 2024/1679, will include:
—
analysing the state of compliance and supporting the coordinated implementation of the Rhine - Danube European Transport Corridor, in accordance with trans-European transport network (TEN-T) standards;
—
in accordance with Article 54(1), and 54(2) of Regulation (EU) 2024/1679, drawing up a work plan, at the latest by 19 July 2026 and every four years thereafter, together with the Member States concerned and, where relevant, in consultation with neighbouring countries which are part of the Rhine - Danube European Transport Corridor;
—
submitting an annual status report to the European Parliament, the Council, the Commission and the Member States concerned on the progress achieved in implementing the Rhine - Danube European Transport Corridor; that annual status report shall focus on the progress made on key priorities and investments, describe the nature of problems encountered in their implementation and suggest solutions;
—
offering support to the Member States, and, where appropriate, relevant neighbouring countries, in implementing the work plan;
—
in accordance with Article 53(2) of Regulation (EU) 2024/1679, formally establishing and chairing the Corridor Forum, composed of infrastructure management stakeholders. The forum shall meet regularly during your mandate;
—
consulting with the Corridor Forum regarding the work plan and regularly informing the Forum on its implementation;
—
wherever necessary, setting up and chairing a number of working groups reporting to the Corridor Forum, in accordance with Article 53(4) of Regulation (EU) 2024/1679;
—
carrying out all necessary missions to the relevant capitals, regions and urban nodes situated on the transport corridor;
—
following up the implementation and coordination of the work plan and the Commission implementing act based on it as well as other specific implementing acts for cross-border sections where applicable;
—
consulting, whenever appropriate, regional and local authorities, infrastructure managers and transport operators, in particular those which are members of the rail freight governance, the supply industry, transport users and relevant stakeholders in relation to the work plan and its implementation;
—
reporting to the Member States, the Council, the neighbouring countries that are part of the Rhine - Danube European Transport Corridor, the European Parliament and the Commission, as well as any other entities involved in the development of the Rhine - Danube European Transport Corridor, on difficulties encountered and proposed solutions;
—
cooperating closely with Member States and the rail freight governance to identify priorities and investment needs for rail freight on the rail freight lines of the Rhine - Danube European Transport Corridor, taking into account the benefits provided to the trans-European transport network and the overall completion dates as set out in Regulation (EU) 2024/1679, without prejudice to the competence of the rail freight governance under Regulation (EU) No 913/2010 of the European Parliament and of the Council ( 2 ) and the competence of the Member States with respect to management and financing of infrastructure;
—
monitoring the performance of rail freight services, and identifying potential barriers, such as technical, administrative and operational ones, with a particular focus on the cross-border dimension, and making recommendations in this regard, where relevant;
—
cooperating closely with the Member States concerned to help identify priorities and investment needs for the rail passenger lines of the Rhine - Danube European Transport Corridor;
—
monitoring the performance of rail passenger services, and identifying potential barriers, such as technical, administrative and operational ones, with a particular focus on the cross-border dimensions, and making recommendations in this regard, where relevant;
—
cooperating closely with the Member States concerned to facilitate, where relevant, contacts and coordination between maritime and inland waterways representatives with a view to increasing their synergies;
—
verifying whether projects proposed by the Member States, or by neighbouring countries, where applicable, for co-funding under the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) are consistent with the priorities of the work plan;
—
cooperating with and involving neighbouring countries in corridor activities, such as the Corridor Forum or working groups;
—
cooperating with international organisations, for activities related to the corridor which extend to neighbouring countries that are members of those international organisations.
In consequence, your task as European Coordinator will be very diverse in nature and of great importance to the Union and the overall project in the context of the programming of funding and political dialogue with the Member States to enable the latter to overcome any difficulties in making the various infrastructure projects happen.
Rules and procedures
Your task as a European Coordinator will be for a period of four years starting on the date of the entry into force of Commission Decision (EU) 2025/1874 ( 3 ) and may be renewed by mutual agreement.
The duration of your mandate may be changed at any time by the Commission at its own initiative or at your request. The Commission reserves the right to cancel your mandate at any time.
During the performance of your tasks you shall not make commitments on behalf of the Commission without its prior written agreement. Accordingly, you shall act impartially, in an independent and confidential manner and apply to the best of your abilities your professional knowledge and skills solely in the interests of the Union.
You shall avoid any situation giving rise to a conflict of interest regarding the areas in which you are requested to intervene. You shall inform the Commission of any conflict of interest arising during your term of office immediately.
Furthermore, you shall not use or divulge any document or information which comes to your knowledge in the course of your duties, unless such information is already in the public domain. All the results produced by you shall be the property of the Union, which may use or publish them as it sees fit.
During the performance of your task, you shall be granted a monthly flat-rate allowance of EUR 3 000 to cover the costs related to secretarial assistance where it is not directly provided by the Commission services (communication, miscellaneous office furniture, office space), and travel-mission representation-related expenses in accordance with the Commission rules.
The Director for Investment, Innovative and Sustainable Transport is your contact person in the Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport. The Commission can assure you, in advance, that you will have the full support of the Director and the members of staff designated to assist you on a day-to-day basis on technical and administrative matters when you carry out your tasks.
The Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport will organise regular meetings between the European Coordinators to allow information and experience to be shared.
The Belgian courts shall have exclusive jurisdiction in respect of any dispute concerning the validity, application or interpretation of this contract. This contract is governed by Belgian law.
Mandate letter for the European Coordinator for
the Baltic Sea - Black Sea - Aegean Sea European Transport Corridor
Regulation (EU) 2024/1679 of the European Parliament and of the Council ( 4 ) provides for the appointment of European Coordinators responsible for the implementation of the European Transport Corridors and of the two horizontal priorities namely the European Maritime Space and the European Railway Traffic Management System (ERTMS).
The corridor approach allows efficient cooperation between key actors in the management of both cross-border and national projects with a European relevance located on the corridor. The European Transport Corridors encompass all transport modes, aiming to increase wide-scale efficiency in the European transport system. Therefore, deploying the European Transport Corridors plays a major part in reaching the Union political goals of a sustainable transport transition and strengthening the European economy.
You have accepted responsibility as the European Coordinator for the Baltic Sea - Black Sea - Aegean Sea European Transport Corridor. The corridor stretches in the north from Helsinki in Finland, across Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania via Gdansk and Warsaw to Southern Poland. From there, the network leads to Lviv in Ukraine and Chișinău in Moldova to the Ukrainian Black Sea port city of Odesa. Another stretch leads from Slovakia and Hungary to Romania and further connects to Bulgaria and Greece. Cyprus is further connected by a European Maritime Space link. The corridor covers rail, road, airports, ports and rail-road terminals. The key projects are the Rail Baltica project and the connection to Ukraine and Moldova.
The Commission is convinced that your support, on which it is counting enormously, will be crucial for the continued success of the European Transport Corridors and horizontal priorities.
Mission
The work of the European Coordinator aims to advance the overall development of the corridor through targeted coordination activities, notably in relation to project investment (synchronisation of works, allocation of national and Union funding) and, as appropriate, other specific actions to promote a competitive and resource-efficient transport system. For this purpose, the European Coordinator shall facilitate cooperation between the Member States concerned, guide the involvement of relevant stakeholders within the Corridor Forum as well as support the preparation and implementation of Commission implementing acts referred to in Article 55 of Regulation (EU) 2024/1679, on the basis of corridor work plans referred to in Article 54 of that Regulation.
Your duties, which stem from those laid down in Article 52(5), (6) and (7) of Regulation (EU) 2024/1679, will include:
—
analysing the state of compliance and supporting the coordinated implementation of the Baltic Sea - Black Sea - Aegean Sea European Transport Corridor, in accordance with trans-European transport network (TEN-T) standards;
—
in accordance with Article 54(1), and 54(2) of Regulation (EU) 2024/1679, drawing up a work plan, at the latest by 19 July 2026 and every four years thereafter, together with the Member States concerned and, where relevant, in consultation with neighbouring countries which are part of the Baltic Sea - Black Sea - Aegean Sea;
—
submitting an annual status report to the European Parliament, the Council, the Commission and the Member States concerned on the progress achieved in implementing the Baltic Sea - Black Sea - Aegean Sea European Transport Corridor; that annual status report shall focus on the progress made on key priorities and investments, describe the nature of problems encountered in their implementation and suggest solutions;
—
offering support to the Member States, and, where appropriate, relevant neighbouring countries, in implementing the work plan;
—
in accordance with Article 53(2) of Regulation (EU) 2024/1679 formally establishing and chairing the Corridor Forum, composed of infrastructure management stakeholders. The forum shall meet regularly during your mandate;
—
consulting with the Corridor Forum regarding the work plan and regularly informing the Forum on its implementation;
—
wherever necessary, setting up and chairing a number of working groups reporting to the Corridor Forum, in accordance with Article 53(4) of Regulation (EU) 2024/1679;
—
carrying out all necessary missions to the relevant capitals, regions and urban nodes situated on the transport corridor;
—
following up the implementation and coordination of the work plan and the Commission implementing act based on it as well as other specific implementing acts for cross-border sections where applicable;
—
consulting, whenever appropriate, regional and local authorities, infrastructure managers, transport operators, in particular those which are members of the rail freight governance, the supply industry, transport users and relevant stakeholders in relation to the work plan and its implementation;
—
reporting to the Member States, the Council, the neighbouring countries that are part of the Baltic Sea - Black Sea - Aegean Sea European Transport Corridor, the European Parliament and the Commission, as well as any other entities involved in the development of the Baltic Sea - Black Sea - Aegean Sea European Transport Corridor, on difficulties encountered and proposed solutions;
—
cooperating closely with Member States and the rail freight governance to identify priorities and investment needs for rail freight on the rail freight lines of the Baltic Sea - Black Sea - Aegean Sea European Transport Corridor, taking into account the benefits provided to the trans-European transport network and the overall completion dates as set out in Regulation (EU) 2024/1679, without prejudice to the competence of the rail freight governance under Regulation (EU) No 913/2010 of the European Parliament and of the Council ( 5 ) and the competence of the Member States with respect to management and financing of infrastructure;
—
monitoring the performance of rail freight services, and identifying potential barriers, such as technical, administrative and operational ones, with a particular focus on the cross-border dimension, and making recommendations in this regard where relevant;
—
cooperating closely with the Member States concerned to help identify priorities and investment needs for the rail passenger lines of the Baltic Sea - Black Sea - Aegean Sea European Transport Corridor;
—
monitoring the performance of rail passenger services, and identifying potential barriers, such as technical, administrative and operational ones, with a particular focus on the cross-border dimensions, and making recommendations in this regard where relevant;
—
cooperating closely with the Member States concerned to facilitate, where relevant, contacts and coordination between maritime and inland waterways representatives with a view to increasing their synergies;
—
verifying whether projects proposed by the Member States, or by neighbouring countries, where applicable, for co-funding under the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) are consistent with the priorities of the work plan;
—
cooperating with and involving neighbouring countries in corridor activities, such as the Corridor Forum or working groups;
—
cooperating with international organisations, for activities related to the corridor which extend to neighbouring countries that are members of those international organisations.
In consequence, your task as European Coordinator will be very diverse in nature and of great importance to the Union and the overall project in the context of programming of funding and political dialogue with the Member States to enable the latter to overcome any difficulties in making the various infrastructure projects happen.
Rules and procedures
Your task as a European Coordinator will be for a period of four years starting on the date of the entry into force of Commission Decision (EU) 2025/1874 ( 6 ) and may be renewed by mutual agreement.
The duration of your mandate may be changed at any time by the Commission at its own initiative or at your request. The Commission reserves the right to cancel your mandate at any time.
During the performance of your tasks you shall not make commitments on behalf of the Commission without its prior written agreement. Accordingly, you shall act impartially, in an independent and confidential manner and apply to the best of your abilities your professional knowledge and skills solely in the interests of the Union.
You shall avoid any situation giving rise to a conflict of interest regarding the areas in which you are requested to intervene. You shall inform the Commission of any conflict of interest arising during your term of office immediately.
Furthermore, you shall not use or divulge any document or information which comes to your knowledge in the course of your duties, unless such information is already in the public domain. All the results produced by you shall be the property of the Union, which may use them or publish them as it sees fit.
During the performance of your task, you shall be granted a monthly flat-rate allowance of EUR 3 000 to cover the costs related to secretarial assistance where it is not directly provided by the Commission services (communication, miscellaneous office furniture, office space), and travel-mission representation-related expenses in accordance with the Commission rules.
The Director for Investment, Innovative and Sustainable Transport is your contact person in the Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport. The Commission can assure you in advance that you will have the full support of the Director and the members of staff designated to assist you on a day-to-day basis on technical and administrative matters when you carry out your tasks.
The Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport will organise regular meetings between the European Coordinators to allow information and experience to be shared.
The Belgian courts shall have exclusive jurisdiction in respect of any dispute concerning the validity, application or interpretation of this contract. This contract is governed by Belgian law.
( 1 ) Regulation (EU) 2024/1679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 June 2024 on Union guidelines for the development of the trans-European transport network, amending Regulations (EU) 2021/1153 and (EU) No 913/2010 and repealing Regulation (EU) No 1315/2013 ( OJ L, 2024/1679, 28.6.2024, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2024/1679/oj ).
( 2 ) Regulation (EU) No 913/2010 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 September 2010 concerning a European rail network for competitive freight ( OJ L 276, 20.10.2010, p. 22 , ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2010/913/oj ).
( 3 ) Commission Decision (EU) 2025/1874 of 12 September 2025 amending Decision (EU) 2024/2383 as regards the designation of European Coordinators for the Atlantic, Rhine - Danube and Baltic Sea - Black Sea - Aegean Sea European Transport Corridors and the laying down of the detailed arrangements for the performance of their mission and tasks ( OJ L 2025/1874, 15.9.2025, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dec/2025/1874/oj ).
( 4 ) Regulation (EU) 2024/1679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 June 2024 on Union guidelines for the development of the trans-European transport network, amending Regulations (EU) 2021/1153 and (EU) No 913/2010 and repealing Regulation (EU) No 1315/2013 ( OJ L, 2024/1679, 28.6.2024, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2024/1679/oj ).
( 5 ) Regulation (EU) No 913/2010 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 September 2010 concerning a European rail network for competitive freight ( OJ L 276, 20.10.2010, p. 22 , ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2010/913/oj ).
( 6 ) Commission Decision (EU) 2025/1874 of 12 September 2025 amending Decision (EU) 2024/2383 as regards the designation of European Coordinators for the Atlantic, Rhine - Danube and Baltic Sea - Black Sea - Aegean Sea European Transport Corridors and the laying down of the detailed arrangements for the performance of their mission and tasks ( OJ L 2025/1874, 15.9.2025, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dec/2025/1874/oj ).
