PLANNING FOR A SUSTAINABLE EUROPE? - TU Berlin

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Commission and the Parliament is aimed at expanding European markets and improving
interconnections throughout Europe, albeit always with a view to privileged high-speed
routes:
Within the framework of a system of open and competitive markets, action by the
Community aims to establish and develop trans-European transport networks by
promoting the interconnection and interoperability of national networks as well as
access to such networks. In the area of transport the Community has identified
transport routes whose expansion and coordination are intended to lead to a stronger
network of links across the European continent. In this context, we should mention the
construction of high-speed routes linking the metropolises of several Member States.
As well as seeking to improve transport infrastructure, the trans-European networks
are primarily intended to integrate Community transport systems by expanding and
linking networks.
(European Parliament 1999:4).
Regardless of its difficulties, enlargement today is an EU Leitbild that has set in
motion an irreversible process of accession for the Eastern European candidate states.
The borders of the Union will likely keep moving eastward for some time to come.
6.2.4 Sustainability
Chapter 5 already traced the EU’s rhetorical commitment to sustainability, so
there is no need to repeat the relevant EU documents here. The most important thing to
remember is that it was only with the Treaty of Amsterdam that an explicit reference on
sustainable development was written into the recitals of the EU Treaty. Chapter 5 also
demonstrated that sustainability is not explicitly defined as a limiting factor on growth
and productivity in the key documents that define the EU’s sustainability commitment.
Some examples of such a more rigid interpretation can be found in other EU documents,
however. The Second Report on Economic and Social Cohesion which the European
Commission released in early 2001 contains a particularly interesting reminder that