The EU's Trans-European Transport  Networks (TEN-T) are struggling by on meager funding. EU Transport  Ministers meeting in Hungary at an informal Council all underlined their support for the TEN-Ts, but will their backing be financial as well?

When it comes to big investments, European Union governments can be reluctant paymasters. The economic downturn, combined with a dip in popular support for the EU, have been particularly lethal for Brussels, as evidenced last year when many big countries refused to accept the EU budget proposed by the European Commission and the European Parliament.

So, where does this leave the Trans-European Transport Networks (TEN-T)? The Commission contends they need a shot in the arm in order to stand a chance of achieving their aims, when created in the 1990s, of overhauling transport links across Europe.

At an informal gathering of Transport Ministers - who met in a former imperial palace in the Hungarian town of Gödöllő on February 7 and 8 - the Commission appealed for a vital dose of funds to help the TEN-Ts meet their targets. EU Transport Commissioner Siim Kallas pointed to research showing the positive impact of infrastructure investments on economic growth and job creation: €1 billion generates roughly 30-40,000 jobs per year. He said investments in transport infrastructure are essential for providing access to markets and they thereby contribute to the reduction of economic disparities within the EU. And - significantly, given the Hungarian hosts - he said Europe still has an imbalance of transport infrastructure between the older and the newer Member States, which have below EU-average road and rail network density, and bad or no connections at all in many places.

"We have to build the trans-European transport network at all costs, if we want to keep our leading position," Kallas said, adding, "we will need to effectively link the Eastern and Western parts of the Union so that all member states enjoy full access to the internal market."

Kallas is due to publish a legislative proposal reviewing TEN-T policy this summer, and sought political backing from the Council. "This review of the trans-European transport network policy comes at a crucial time for Europe," he said. "It will be of vital help if European businesses are to remain competitive and we are to make transport more sustainable."