The new law would set a maximum period of four years for permit procedures for large projects on the trans-European transport network TEN-T.
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In addition, the procedure for classifying roads would be streamlined. The Government submitted its proposal to Parliament on 17.11.2022.
The Government proposes a new law that would implement the so-called Smart TEN-T Directive. In addition, decision-making on the classification of roads would be streamlined and roads would no longer be classified by means of a regulation.
The Smart TEN-T Directive aims to speed up the permit granting process for large projects in the TEN-T network.
The act would mainly apply to projects over EUR 300 million on the TEN-T core network corridors.
The Finnish Transport and Communications Agency would be a national authority that would coordinate the cooperation between the project promoter and other authorities and that would monitor the progress of the project's administrative procedures within the deadline.
The Trans-European Network (TEN-T) connects railways, inland waterways, roads, sea and air links into a trans-European transport network.
In Finland, the length of the road and rail network of the TEN-T transport network is approximately 8,800 kilometres, of which approximately 2,460 kilometres belong to the core network corridors.
Two core network corridors, the North Sea-Baltic and Scandinavian-Mediterranean core network corridors, pass through Finland.
The North Sea-Baltic core network corridor runs north of Helsinki and further through Tornio to Sweden. The Scandinavian-Mediterranean core network corridor runs from Turku via Helsinki to the Russian border, Vaalimaa and Vainikkala.
The corridors also include Turku and Helsinki-Vantaa airports, the ports of Turku, Naantali, Helsinki and HaminaKotka, and the Kouvola rail and road terminal.
In addition, the Act on the Transport System and Highways would be amended so that in the future the Finnish Transport and Communications Agency Traficom would confirm whether the road belongs to highways, trunks, regions or connecting roads on the proposal of the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency or the ELY Centre.
The decision would be made in connection with the road plan or as a separate matter.
At present, the classification of a road must be decided by decree. The act would also provide for the possibility for municipalities and regional councils in whose territory the highway is located to participate in the preparation.
The principles laid down in the act for the classification of highways for highways, trunks, regions and connecting roads would not be changed, but the principles could be specified by decree.
The classification of highways, trunks, regions and connecting roads indicates the importance of the road as a traffic intermediary and a uniter of areas.
Updating the functional classification of highways is one of the measures in the national transport system plan this year.
The Ministry of Transport and Communications has asked the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency, in cooperation with the ELY Centres and regional transport system operators, to investigate the need to change road categories in a separate process in accordance with the memorandum on the update of the functional classification of highways and the opinion feedback received from it, utilising regional transport system cooperation.
The work is about to begin and is scheduled to be completed by April 2023.
The proposal submitted by the Government to Parliament on 17.11.2022 will be the subject of a referral debate in plenary, the date of which will be announced on the Parliament's website (upcoming plenary sessions). After the referral debate, the proposal will be referred to committee. The acts are expected to enter into force during 2023. ■