THE PORTUGUESE EXPERIENCE WITH “EU” FUNDING MECHANISMS

I. – BENEFITS AND RESULTS OF THE “EU” FUNDING (mostly Cohesion Fund) FOR THE RAIL NETWORK IN PORTUGAL ● Amount of support for the period 1993 / / 2000: 800 Million Euros( 40 % CF) 2000 / 2006: 980 Million Euros( 90 % CF) ● Taxes of support - CF: 80 % - ERDF: 50% - TEN-T: Studies: 50% ; Works: maximum 10 %

● Main lines upgraded - Beira Alta Line: 200 Kms from West (near Coimbra) to East (border with Spain and then through to Paris) - Beira Alta Line: 200 Kms from West (near Coimbra) to East (border with Spain and then through to Paris) - North Line: 330 Kms from Lisbon to Oporto (renewal still underway) - South Line to the Algarve: around 300 Kms from Lisbon to the Algarve - Douro Line (near Oporto): a section of 40 Kms - Minho Line (near Oporto): a section of 30 Kms - Beira Baixa Line (central connection to Beira Alta): a section of 150 Kms (Works still underway)

● Kms of line upgraded Nearly Kms ● Kms of new line constructed 30 Kms ● Nature of the investments and improvements - Renewal of the track for higher speeds - Doubling and quadruplicating some sections - Strengthening and construction of new bridges and viaducts - Electrification - Electronic signalling, automatic speed control and telecommunications - Elimination of level crossings - Freight terminals

● Main objectives - Better transport supply with greater quality and comfort - Decrease in travel times - Increase in speed - Increase in capacity and liability - Increase in safety - Operational costs reduction and increase in productivity ● Increases in speed, safety and capacity - Increases in speed to 120/140 Kms /H and up to 220 Kms /H in the main itineraries - Reductions in travel times of around 20~30 % - Increase in safety by the closure of level crossings, construction of viaducts, new signalling and automatic speed control - Increase in capacity by duplicating and quadruplicating some sections and installing new electronic signalling

II. – CONDITIONS REQUIRED AND MAIN RESTRICTIONS ▪ Lines must be included in the “Trans European Network” ( for CF and DG TREN) ▪ Environmental evaluation concluded and approved by the environment Authorities ▪ Some of the works must have been already commited ▪ Compatibility with EU politics ▪ EIB approval, if it is the case ▪ Consistent Cost/Benefit analysis ▪ Complete description of the works, credible calendar and accurate estimation and discrimination of costs per nature (components) and category ▪ Definition of physical indicators ▪ Availability of funding in the fraction attributed to the Member State

III. – DIFFICULTIES WITH ● Approval of the applications - addicional information and documents - questions about the cost/benefit analysis - calendars - cost estimates - period of eligibility ● Monitoring and reporting - claims - biannual reports - specific reports

● Closure of the processes - formal acceptance of the works - complete portrait of the project life - consistency and coherence of all the information provided - definition of the final costs and evaluation - final costs of the contracts

IV. – MAIN PROBLEMS AT PRESENT ● Public procurement and tendering - international advertisement in the JOCE and previous announcement, stating the financing fund - enough publicity - obedience to the principles of “transparency” of the procedures, “free market” rules and “non discrimination” - non acceptance of procedures by “direct negociation” - amount of addicional works

● Environment - fulfilement of all the phases of the evaluation of impacts and approval by the environment authorities - implementation of the minimization measures of the impacts ● Calendars - progress of the works - claims - reports - final claim - final report ● Audits - several types - several entities