Delays in the Balkan-Mediterranean corridor are holding back the common defence
The EU Court of Auditors has commented on the TEN-T project. Complex audits have led to construction projects being delayed by up to two years. This is affecting the trade network and the plan devised by the Commission and NATO to redeploy troops to the south
Key points
Bringing together Central Europe, the Balkans and the Mediterranean. A clear strategy, but one that is currently too theoretical. The objective set by the European Union in 2013 was clear: to integrate Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia into the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T), the system designed to create road, rail, port, river and airport links, ensuring continuity across the entire continent. To bridge the infrastructure gap between the region and the rest of the European market, Brussels has drawn on the support of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the European Investment Bank (EIB). The figures bear witness to the scale of this commitment: according to the European Court of Auditors’ 2015 report, published in early June, the Commission has transferred some €899 million to the Western Balkans Investment Framework (WBIF) joint fund, confirming its status as the initiative’s main financier.
According to the Court, however, the 2030 target is at risk of slipping away. The report highlights accumulated delays in all the main beneficiary countries. The auditors note that many projects are progressing well behind schedule, whilst the Commission is said to have exercised insufficient supervision, relying largely on monitoring carried out by local institutions. The investigation covered a sample of twelve major infrastructure projects funded through the Western Balkans Investment Framework (WBIF), the European platform that coordinates grants and loans for strategic investments in the region. In light of this, the Court identified critical issues in two main areas.
All delays
The first concerns the selection of projects classified as ‘immature’, which were approved without the preparatory phase having actually been completed. On average, construction sites experienced an initial delay of 17 months compared with the planned schedules, and further delays of more than two years during implementation. The second issue concerns monitoring. According to the auditors, the European Commission does not have complete data on the actual progress of the transport corridors or on the extent to which the infrastructure complies with European standards. In some cases, Brussels has even authorised payments exceeding those justified by the actual progress of the works. The Court also highlights shortcomings in terms of sustainability: three of the railway lines examined continue to operate on diesel, contrary to European emission reduction targets.
Checks
The report also highlights a political issue of accountability. Whilst the Commission is criticised for the weakness of its oversight mechanisms, the report also points to the direct responsibility of the beneficiary countries, which have often submitted projects lacking the necessary technical maturity. The result is a chain of delays that has jeopardised compliance with the 2030 roadmap, calling into question the candidate countries’ ability to manage infrastructure programmes on a European scale.
The TEN-T network is not merely an investment in infrastructure: it is the project through which Brussels aims to build the backbone of European connectivity. There are many benefits to integrating the Balkan region into this network.
