Priority Transport Infrastructure Projects

These criteria attempt to evaluate the project’s contribution to regional integration, including both North-South and South-South integration.

• The projects form part of the HLG axes.
• The projects should be of a regional nature rather than exclusively national, with special consideration given to cross-border projects.
• The infrastructure on which the projects are based should be used mainly for international freight and/or passenger traffic.
• The infrastructure on which the projects are based should favour the cohesion and integration of Mediterranean countries, facilitate relations between the two shores of the Mediterranean Sea and also between the countries of the Southern Mediterranean.

These criteria consider the project’s relevance in terms of design efficiency and network operation.

- The projects should serve to:

• cross or bypass natural obstacles
• alleviate traffic jams and bottlenecks
• put missing links in place and finish major corridors
• increase the interoperability of transport networks

- The projects should have sufficient capacity to cater for the respective working scenarios.

These criteria consider the project’s relevance in terms of the general effects on society.

The projects should have a significantly positive effect on the population:

• Impact on economic growth and employment
• Improvement of transport safety and security
• To facilitate mobility of goods and passengers
• High rates of increase in demand

These criteria consider how these projects fit into each country’s strategy for developing the infrastructure network.

• Firm commitment of countries/governments
• Inclusion of the project in countries' national plans

These criteria consider the economic soundness of the project and its effects on transport costs.

• Improved economic effectiveness of the transport system (reduction in transport costs).
• The projects should have a significant economic impact or be of a significant size.
• The most economical technical alternative for meeting the project goals.
• Financial plan already developed or forecast.
• The project should facilitate private-sector project funding and infrastructure management.

These criteria consider the project’s relevance based on how it affects the environment.

• Contribution to balanced, sustainable development: modal shift, use of the shortest routes, reduction of traffic jams, etc.
• Improvement in environmental sustainability: reduction of air pollution, noise pollution, greenhouse gases, etc.

The function of the proposed infrastructure project should be considered in terms of the integration and cohesion of the Mediterranean region, as well as regional and sub-regional interconnections.

Within the context of the promotion of improved integration and economic growth among the countries on the Mediterranean shores, the creation of a multimodal transport network that facilitates commercial exchange and the movement of people between the different countries is an important and necessary condition. The capacity of the infrastructure project to promote cohesion, integration and interconnections in the Mediterranean region is one of the criteria to be maintained in the selection processes of projects proposed in the Paris Declaration on Union for the Mediterranean. It is therefore a priority to promote international connections in this network, as these are largely the ones that will make relations between Mediterranean countries possible.

To evaluate this factor, the projects will be classified in ONE of the following categories:

• The contribution to the South-South connection or the South-North connection: those projects that link the national network with the border of another Mediterranean country, a project for a port or the extension/remodelling of a port, or an airport project or the expansion/remodelling of an international airport: 10 points.
• The contribution to the connection with other regions: those projects that link the national network with the border with a non-Mediterranean country: 7 points.
• The contribution to integration based on improving the national network: the rest of the projects: 4 points.

To be considered here is the proposed infrastructure project’s contribution to facilitating the flow of people and goods based on improving the efficiency of the transport network.

For efficient commercial exchange and movement of people, the transport network must offer optimal conditions that are similar throughout the entire network. This criteria prioritizes the projects that complete major transport axes, as opposed to those that promote the intermodality of the network and those aimed at increasing network capacity. The economic efficiency of the transport system as a whole is a priority, especially the reduction of travel times and therefore the costs for users and operators.

To evaluate this factor, the projects will be classified in ONE of the following categories:

• Elimination of a missing link: projects in major transport axes1 designed to allow for continuous channelling of international flows at similar characteristics throughout the axis; new ports or airports located on these axes will also be considered: 10 points.
• Promotion of intermodality and interoperability: all port, airport or rail projects not considered a missing link; all road projects connecting the main transport axes to a port or airport: 7 points.
• Increasing the capacity of the network: the rest of the projects: 4 points.

Projects should be evaluated based on the benefits they contribute to society, including the impact on economic growth and employment, the mobility of people and goods, and the safety and reliability of the transport system.

Given that technical criteria evaluate the project’s ability to facilitate flows, we considered it redundant to include it in this section. Based on this premise, considering that economic growth and mobility (of goods and people) are closely linked, we will focus the evaluations in this section on improving the safety and reliability of the transport system.

To evaluate the benefits derived from improvements in the safety and reliability of the network, the classification by mode and type of project applied for the TINA Turkey project was used; to evaluate this factor, the projects will be classified in ONE of the following categories:

• Rail signalling system installation projects: 10 points.
• Rail electrification projects: 4 points.
• New rail projects: 6 points.
• Port projects: 10 points.
• Airport projects: 8 points.
• Rehabilitation or upgrading roads projects: 6 points.
• New road projects: 4 points.

The project’s degree of maturity is considered, based on the preparation phase it is in within the planning framework of each country.

One of the criteria for pre-selecting projects used by HLG II was the countries’ firm commitment to implement the project. Considering this commitment is equivalent to evaluating the progress of the project and the point it is at in terms of planning and study.

To evaluate this factor, the projects will be classified in ONE of the following categories:

• The construction design for the project has been drafted: 10 points.
• The feasibility study of the project has been drafted: 9 points.
• A feasibility study has been drafted on the project, but it needs to be updated: 6 points.
• The preliminary feasibility study has been drafted on the project: 5 points.
• The project is included among the country’s planning policies: 4 points.

The economic and financial feasibility of the project will be considered, bearing in mind the cost of the project, the maturity achieved in the project’s financial study and the possibility of including private financing.

Both the criteria on the prioritization of projects presented by HLG II and the declaration of the Paris Summit on Union for the Mediterranean show an interest in the financial feasibility of projects, as well as the possibility of funding the project with private financing.

Including these criteria will be considered from a three-fold perspective. The first involves evaluating the cost of the projects and trying to penalize small-scale projects with little significance at the Mediterranean level, as well as major projects that exceed countries’ financial capacity. The second involves considering the existence of a realistic financial plan which indicates the source of the financing needed. Finally, in accordance with the different positions in favour of mobilizing different sources of financing, the project’s ability to attract private participation/financing will be considered.

To evaluate this factor, the projects will be classified in ONE of the following categories:

• The project has a developed financial plan where the private sector participation is expected and the project cost is between 0.02% and 0.5%2 of the country’s GDP: 10 points.
• The project has a developed financial plan where the private sector participation is not expected and the project cost is between 0.02% and 0.5% of the country’s GDP t: 8 points.
• The project has not a developed financial plan but the private sector participation is expected and the project cost is between 0.02% and 0.5% of the country’s GDP: 8 points.
• The project has not a developed financial plan, the private sector participation is not expected but the project cost is between 0.02% and 0.5% of the country’s GDP: 6 points.
• The project has a developed financial plan where the private sector participation is expected but the project cost is not between 0.02% and 0.5% of the country’s GDP: 8 points.
• The project has a developed financial plan where the private sector participation is not expected and the project cost is not between 0.02% and 0.5% of the country’s GDP t: 6 points.
• The project has not a developed financial plan and the project cost is not between 0.02% and 0.5% of the country’s GDP but the private sector participation is expected: 6 points.
• The project has not a developed financial plan, the private sector participation is not expected and the project cost is not between 0.02% and 0.5% of the country’s GDP: 4 points.

The project’s contribution to the promotion of the sustainable development of the transport system will be considered.

Environmental sustainability and the mitigation of the negative transport system’s effects on the environment are among the chief priorities of transport policies, as reflected in the criteria proposed by the evaluation projects for HLG II and also in the Paris Declaration on Union for the Mediterranean. Given the impossibility of analysing the effects of each project in detail, the environmental effects will be evaluated in general, based on how the different types of project and mode of transport affect the environment.

To evaluate this factor, the projects will be classified in ONE of the following categories (similar to the method applied for the TINA Turkey project):

• Rail signalling system installation projects: 8 points.
• Rail electrification projects: 10 points.
• New rail projects: 6 points.
• Port remodelling or expansion projects: 6 points.
• New port projects: 4 points.
• Airport remodelling or expansion projects: 6 points.
• New airport projects: 4 points.
• Rehabilitation or upgrading roads projects: 6 points.
• New road projects: 4 points.