PLANNING FOR A SUSTAINABLE EUROPE? - TU Berlin

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In reality, however, not only those two, but practically all other Széchenyi Plan
priorities were also dropped from the new priority list. By then, the EU had obviously
made it clear to their Hungarian counterparts that no EU co-financing would be given for
construction projects that did not adhere to standard procurement rules. So in the end, the
Hungarian government only listed three road sector priority projects in its final National
ISPA Transport Strategy: a general axle load strengthening program along national roads,
the section of the M43 between the M5 and the Romanian border and the Eastern section
of the M0 highway. Additionally, an additional road project was “hidden” in the “inland
navigation” ISPA priority list: the Hungarian government planned to request € 27.4
million for the “construction for a new ‘spinal’ access road connection to the port of
Csepel (Budapest) on the Danube” (p.23).
The three rail sector priorities, by contrast, appear entirely unchanged, except that
they are now listed before the road sector priorities. Finally, in addition to two new
inland navigation projects, the Hungarian government now also requests ISPA grant
funding for three civil aviation projects that did not previously appear in the ISPA draft.
Table 8.5 presents an overview of the planned and received ISPA transport grants to
Hungary.