Trans-European Transport Network Research Articles

Sustainable pathways for mitigating externalities in long-distance terrestrial transport

International agreements and European policies emphasise the necessity to reduce transport externalities, particularly by focusing on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This reduction should align with improved accessibility to major urban areas, which is a goal explicitly associated with the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T). However, the correlation between these two objectives is not necessarily straightforward, as an increase in travel demand may contribute to the growth in transport externalities. This study economically evaluates the transport externalities generated along the Italian segment of the Brenner axis, which is the central part of the TEN-T Scandinavian–Mediterranean corridor. The aim of the analysis is twofold: (i) to ascertain whether the evolution of travel demand over the last decade aligns with European objectives on transport externalities; (ii) to project the expected effects to 2030 and 2040 under alternative scenarios. Existing data fail to reveal a clear trend, owing to fluctuating travel demands in recent years. Instead of indicating a generalised reduction in externalities, the data reflect a redistribution of costs among categories, with less effects from local pollutants and higher congestion and accident costs. The anticipated increase in travel demand is likely to exacerbate these externalities, thus further increasing road congestion and accident costs. This increase is not expected to be fully offset by the reduction in air and GHG emissions despite the enhanced efficiency of the vehicular fleet. The modal shift from road to rail, as well as the ongoing digitalisation processes, are imperative for effective road traffic management and reducing costs along the corridor.

Suitable law-based location selection of high-power electric vehicles charging stations on the TEN-T core network for sustainability: a case of Poland

With the upcoming implementation of the amendment to Regulation (EU) 2019/631 of the European Parliament and of the Council, from 2035 there will be a ban on the registration of new vehicles with internal combustion engines (ICE) in the Member States of the European Union (EU). Consequently, changes in the transportation sector, resulting from the increasing use of electric vehicles, appear to be inevitable. According to the adopted legal acts, the European Union Member States will be obliged to develop, among others, a charging infrastructure and access to public charging stations for electric vehicles. As a result, there will be a need to ensure a significant increase in the power and the number of charging stations and to determine their appropriate location. The article presents the challenges faced by charging station operators and difficulties related to the further development of electric vehicle charging infrastructure in Poland. The still poorly developed public charging infrastructure for electric vehicles, especially in service areas located along the main communication routes, remains the main obstacle to the development of electromobility. In the context of legal, financial, technological, and organizational challenges, the problem of the proper distribution of electric vehicle charging stations along the main communication routes is therefore of particular importance. The aim of the article is to present a new, proprietary method for determining the location of electric vehicle charging stations in Poland within the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T), which considers objective location factors: adherence to AFIR requirements, the specificity of the Polish power system and existing parking infrastructure. As a result of using the developed method, a list of 188 recommended locations for the construction of electric vehicle charging stations in Poland along the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) was created. It has been shown in this way that the use of the presented method enables the suitable determination of the location of electric vehicle charging stations along transport routes, considering legal, financial, and technological requirements, which will significantly facilitate the operation of zero-emission transport.

Forecasting network traffic in the information and telecommunication system of railway transport by means of a neural network

Network traffic is one of the most important actual indicators of the information and telecommunication system (ITS) of railway transport. Recent studies show that network traffic in the ITS of railway transport is self-similar (fractal), for the study of which the Hirst indicator can be used. One of the possible solutions is a method of network traffic forecasting using neural network technology, which will allow you to manage traffic in real time, avoid server overload and improve the quality of services, which confirms the relevance of this topic. The method of forecasting the parameters of network traffic in the ITS of railway transport using neural network technology is proposed: for long-term forecasting (day-ahead) of network traffic volume based on network traffic volumes for the previous three days using the created multilayer neuro-fuzzy network; for short-term prediction (one step forward, which takes five minutes) of network traffic intensity based on network traffic intensities for the previous fifteen minutes using the created multilayer neural network. The corresponding samples are formed on the basis of real values of network traffic parameters in the ITS of railway transport. Studies of optimal parameters of the created multilayer neural network, which can be integrated into specialized analytical servers of the ITS of railway transport, are carried out, which will provide a sufficiently high level of short-term forecasting of network traffic parameters (in particular intensity) in the ITS of railway transport at the stage of deepening the integration of the national transport network into the Trans-European Transport Network.

Development Strategy of Czech State Railway Infrastructure

The article deals on development strategy of Czech state railway infrastructure of both conventional and high-speed lines. Based on priorities of both the EC and Czech government, the strategy defines long-term goals until 2050 like high-speed rail traffic will triple, rail freight traffic will double, scheduled collective travel of under 500 km should be carbon neutral within the EU and finally the multimodal Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) equipped for sustainable and smart transport with high speed connectivity will be operational for the comprehensive network. Správa železnic, state organization has introduced its strategic management since 2018. Development strategy of the organization, faced with increasing of intermodal competition between both railway and road transport, is a basis for qualified setting of measurable and it means checkable goals of which the organization shall reach and together with it setting of provisions leading to match those goals. Matching of strategic goals is assessed in quarter-year cycles by means of individual provisions in Action plan. The Czech Republic invests increasingly in the modernization of conventional railways and the preparation of high-speed lines.

Legal regulation of the international transport sphere in the conditions of European integration

The article conducts a scientific and practical study of the organizational and legal issues of the integration of the transport system of Ukraine into both European and world transport systems with the aim of forming and further developing a single trans-European transport network.
 The international documents of the European Union and the national legislation of Ukraine in the international transport sphere were analyzed in order to identify problematic issues, search for effective organizational and legal mechanisms for their solution and priority forms of cooperation in this sphere.
 It was revealed that the main concepts, ways to achieve the goal and even specific actions regarding the creation of a modern transport network are outlined in the strategy of the European Commission "Transport - 2050: road map for the formation of the Single European transport space - on the way to a competitive and resource-efficient transport system” - " White book - 2011”.
 One of the main goals of cooperation in accordance with the Association Agreement between Ukraine, on the one hand, and the European Union, the European Atomic Energy Community and their member states, on the other hand, was specified, and its content was formed.
 It was emphasized that the situation with European integration in the international transport sphere remains difficult and this is a negative phenomenon and a joint responsibility of the Government and the Parliament regarding the obligations of Ukraine's implementation of mandatory and directly related regulations and directives of the European Union.
 The necessary steps for the implementation of the organizational and legal mechanism of European integration processes regarding the liberalization of international transportation and the development of the international transport sphere with the European Union and its member states are proposed, which can be the conclusion of bilateral agreements between Ukraine and the European Union on the simplification of the permit system between Ukraine and the member states of the European Union. of the Union for transit transportation by transport, making appropriate changes to already existing bilateral agreements regarding the conditions of transit transportation of goods between Ukraine and the member states of the European Union, in general, resolving issues regarding the obligations of implementing the Association Agreement between Ukraine, on the one hand, and the European Union , the European Atomic Energy Community and their member states, on the other hand, in the field of infrastructure, acceleration of the stages of reform in Ukraine within the framework of the implementation of the Association Agreement, in particular, the approval by the parliament of European integration bills in the field of transport infrastructure.

An accessibility-based methodology to identify corridor speed upgrades in the European rail network

The European Union's Trans-European Transport Network policy (TEN-T) is a key instrument for developing rail networks and achieving the European Union's modal shift and territorial cohesion objectives as set out in the White Paper on Transport. High-speed rail (HSR) is a key element of this policy, as the core TEN-T rail network is to be designed for high speeds. Since the effectiveness of HSR in achieving its objectives has been repeatedly criticized, it is difficult to justify the high cost of developing rail corridors for such speeds. The European Commission has therefore proposed a reduction in the minimum speeds for HSR in a revised proposal concerning the regulation defining the TEN-T network. In this paper, we apply the betweenness-accessibility methodology to model the contribution of each rail corridor in the European long-distance rail network to the accessibility by rail of EU metropolitan regions. After simulating the completion of the already defined TEN-T network which is to be completed by 2030, we simulate speed increases on all remaining corridors with speeds below 160 km/h up to this speed to evaluate the potential accessibility gains of these speed increases. A total of 13 corridors have been selected for the estimation of their upgrade costs, most of which are in Eastern Europe. The upgrade costs were compared with the potential accessibility gains to provide guidance on the most cost-effective way to improve rail accessibility on the European long-distance rail network.

The Panopticon reloaded: A critical analysis of performance management systems in the trans-European transport network policy

This article examines Performance Management Systems (PMSs) as socio-technical policy instruments for shaping power relations in megaprojects. Employing an abductive approach, it innovatively applies Foucault's Panopticon theory to the case of the Lyon-Turin railway, a megaproject funded by the European Union's Trans-European Transport Network policy. Our research reveals that PMSs operate as intellectual technologies that enable megaproject promoters to establish control over participants and align their collective behavior with planned policy objectives. We find that this process follows three Foucauldian panoptic principles: hierarchical observation, where participants are organized under nested managerial tiers, establishing vertical lines of command; examination, which uncovers performance flaws; and normalization, which standardizes behavior across the megaproject field. We argue that: PMSs can be employed by policy-makers as instruments to instil governability and shape the collective behavior of megaproject participants consistently with planned policy goals; no matter how effective the panoptic scheme is, there are always avenues of resistance available among those perceiving the megaproject as a threat; and, the configuration and constitution of power relations in megaprojects involve a complex interplay of discipline, sovereignty, and security mechanisms.

Disaggregate Modelling for Estimating Location Choice of Safe and Secure Truck Parking Areas: A Case Study

Responding to the increasing need for safety and security in road freight transport, and to targeted legislation specifying the availability of freight drivers’ rest areas, this paper proposes a plan and a model for deployment of safe and secure parking areas for truck drivers. Disaggregate analysis within a stated preference and conjoint analysis framework leads to the modelling of truck parking area selection by each truck driver that registers in the system proposed in this research. The concept builds upon the Cooperative Intelligent Transport Systems (C-ITS) upgrading of the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) infrastructure systems while adapting to novel transport and logistics needs in an operationally safe, secure, and efficient environment for the supply chain. The analysis is applied in the Orient/East-Med Corridor of the TEN-T and is supported by the clustering of available truck parking areas for each truck route in the application subnetwork. The personalised approach is scalable and can be integrated into platforms for safe and secure truck parking areas, thus facilitating their acceptance and increasing awareness by the end-users. From pilot implementation on the Hellenic motorways, functional evaluation of use cases indicates 94.4% estimated choice probability of the most suitable parking area by the pilot drivers.

The Problems of Ensuring the Efficiency and Competitiveness of the Ukrainian Transport Industry to Meet the Modern Challenges and Threats

In Ukraine, the challenges and threats to the efficient functioning of the transportation industry are intensifying during the war and infrastructure destruction. The need for emergency repairs of the ruined infrastructure hinders the reform of the Ukrainian transportation industry. Furthermore, developing an integrated EU-oriented multimodal transportation system within the "Eastern Partnership" regional network becomes more complicated. This article aims to identify the problems of efficiency and competitiveness of the Ukrainian transportation industry in the context of integration into the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) and the construction of a multimodal transportation system. The research employs a systemic analysis methodology to assess the structural indicators of Ukraine's transportation system development. The structure of Ukrainian freight transportation by mode is compared with that in EU countries to reflect differences in a modal split in the context of Ukraine's accession to TEN-T. The results demonstrate a range of problems related to the competitiveness of the Ukrainian transportation industry, which act as barriers to its integration with TEN-T. Institutional, political, and managerial-administrative problems are identified as the leading issues associated with inefficient data collection and processing, management and control functions, decision-making, communication, and interaction among governing bodies. A separate group of issues in Ukraine's transportation industry is linked to the material-technical condition of various types of transportation infrastructure, which affects service quality. Consequently, other problems arise, including the low level of development of intermodal and multimodal transport, transportation logistics, decreased efficiency in capacity utilization, insufficient level of competition in the market for transportation services, and non-compliance with European requirements for access to the transportation services market.

Adaptive ECMS based on speed forecasting for the control of a heavy-duty fuel cell vehicle for real-world driving

Aiming at reducing pollutant emissions, hydrogen and fuel cell hybrid electric vehicles (FCVs) represent a promising technological solution. In this scenario, this paper proposes an adaptive energy management strategy (A-EMS) based on speed forecasting for a heavy-duty FCV, in order to achieve stable battery charge sustenance in realistic driving conditions. A validated and optimized fuel cell system model has been integrated into a complete vehicle model developed in the GT-Suite environment. A short-term velocity prediction layer based on a long short term memory (LSTM) neural network has been built in the A-EMS framework. The network has been trained and tested with realistic driving data simulated by GT-Real Drive for routes of the Trans-European Transport Network. The vehicle speed prevision has been realized over different forecasting horizons (5, 10, and 20 s). The adaptive equivalent consumption minimization strategy (A-ECMS) combined with short-term vehicle speed prediction is the A-EMS core algorithm of the presented work. Its results are here compared with the standard ECMS (S-ECMS) for four different driving cycles, including both standardized (HDDT) and realistic driving profiles. Three different European routes, with varying characteristics and from different countries, have been selected to test the proposed strategy in various conditions. The short-term prediction layer achieves satisfactory forecasting accuracy, with a RMSE ranging from 1.76 km/h to 13.37 km/h. The A-ECMS provides an improved by an order of magnitude battery charge sustenance, evaluated in terms of maximum battery state of charge (SoC) variation and fluctuation degree, with a hydrogen consumption increase ranging from 3.76% to 11.40% compared to the S-ECMS, for which the driving cycle is supposed to be known beforehand. As an example, in the HDDT cycle, the absolute maximum SoC variation and its fluctuation degree are lowered by about 76% and 79%, respectively. In conclusion, the proposed A-ECMS demonstrated that it is applicable for real driving conditions without prior knowledge of the driving cycle while improving battery charge sustaining for a FCV.

Sustainable Electrification and Digitalisation for Greening Small and Medium-Sized Ports along the TEN-T Corridors

Despite the highest competition among the big EU seaports – gateways and hubs, such as Rotterdam, Antwerp, Hamburg or Valencia, etc., which stand for the Core Ports in the European Union (EU) Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) Core and Comprehensive Network, the present paper addresses challenges and raises potentials immanent in Small and Medium-Sized Ports (SMSPs) in the EU. Environmental responsibility and digital efficiency – Europe’s twin to a green and digital economy paves the way for SMSPs to improve innovation capacity, upgrade demanded future skills and competencies, accelerate EU policies compliant operational, environmental, digital, social, and market performance. The paper deploys a multi-case study approach. Using an ecosystem approach, the paper reveals potentials and pinpoints to key short- and long-term challenges pursuant to SMSPs in the three different EU macro-regions – Baltic Sea Region, AdriaticIonian Sea Region and Mediterranean Sea Region along the four TEN-T Core Network Corridors – Baltic-Adriatic, Orient-East Med, North Sea-Baltic and Scandinavian-Mediterranean. Departing from the role model – Baltic Sea Region – ports of Klaipeda, Wismar, Stralsund and 10 Estonian SPSMs are connected via TEN-T corridors with ports of Bari, la Spezia in Italy and Corfu and Igoumenitsa in Greece. In this vein, knowledge, skills and best practices are transferred from the North Europe to the South and vice versa using the concepts of co-creation and servitisation. Illustrated case studies reveal how all SMSPs are capable to kick-start environmental and digital transition with solutions on Onshore Power Supply (OPS), electrification and digitalisation of port operations through Internet of Things (IoT) and Blockchain solutions used for transport and monitoring operations.

Spatial Economic Impacts of the TEN-T Network Extension in the Adriatic and Ionian Region

Investments in transportation infrastructure have been identified as one of the main factors to promote territorial economic growth. However, appraisal methods currently used in the planning practice do not consider spatial economic distributional effects, ignoring who within a given region would receive greater economic benefits from an investment than others (and eventually who might receive worse). In this paper, a modelling framework is proposed to assess the spatial economic impacts of transportation infrastructure investments; the method combines spatial regressions with transportation accessibility analysis, assuming Gross Domestic Product per Capita variation as a proxy of the economic growth. The application to the case study is related to the Adriatic and Ionian region, which includes both some EU (Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, and Greece) and non-EU countries (Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro, Albania, North Macedonia, and Kosovo) and is characterized by huge disparities in terms of infrastructural assets. The models allow us to both statistically prove the importance of spatial modelling specifications and to forecast economic impacts that would be generated by ongoing infrastructure investment plans for the reconstruction of the road and railway networks in the region; this highlighted where current economic disparities tend to be bridged up, i.e., mainly along the foreseen extensions of the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) corridors, and where not.

Application of Physical and Numerical Modeling for Determination of Waterway Safety under the Bridge in Kaunas City, Lithuania

The main problem presented in this paper is the safety inlet navigation of the waterway below the bridge in the city of Kaunas in Lithuania. The analyzed reach is located in the Nemunas river downstream of the Kaunas dam. It is a part of the waterway E–41 leading to the Klaipeda harbor on the southern coast of the Baltic Sea. The work was initiated by the Lithuanian company UAB “Inžinerinis projektavimas” with funds from the project called European Union Trans-European Transport Network (EU TEN-T). The main requirement imposed along this reach is to keep sufficient depth even in the range of the lowest flows. The depth is sufficient if it is not lower than 1.15 m for minimum flows such as Q95% and Q95% with ice. The hydraulic conditions for maximum flow Q50%, Q5%, and Q1% are also taken into account for control because the threat of hydraulic jump generation was also noticed. The research is based on georeferenced data from public and non-public sources. The hydrologic data were received from the Lithuanian Hydrometeorological Service. The physical model was created in the Water Laboratory of the Department of Hydraulic and Sanitary Engineering at Poznan University of Life Sciences, Poland. The preprocessing of spatial data in ArcGIS 10.8.2 and rules of hydraulic similarity were implemented in the process of physical model preparation. Three experiments were conducted in the laboratory with scaled values of Q95%, Q5%, and Q1%. The measurements of the water surface and evaluations of the average velocity were used to validate the 2D numerical model prepared in HEC-RAS 6.3.1. The basic layers of the HEC-RAS model were preprocessed in ArcGIS 10.8.2 by ESRI company. The numerical model was implemented to test different values of unknown roughness of the channel bottom. The simulations were conducted for the real values of Q95% and Q95% with ice and Q50%. The results of the simulations were depth and Froude number maps. These maps were classified into zones of no risk, middle risk, and high risk. ArcGIS in the post-processing phase was applied to identify the locations of the hazards. The magnitude of risk was expressed in terms of minimum depth achieved, maximum Froude number, as well as the length of the reaches with high risk related to these two factors. The threat of hydraulic jump formation below the bridge was also noticed. Conducted results confirmed that the combination of hydrodynamic simulations and geoprocessing in the pre- and post-processing stages could be a powerful tool in hydraulic engineering analyses. Additionally, it is worth noting that numerical modeling enables a wider analysis of potential conditions than could be possible with a physical model only.

Small and Medium-Sized Port Greening Initiatives as Trigger for a Servitisation Port Ecosystem

Abstract Despite the highest competition among the big EU seaports – gateways and hubs, such as Rotterdam, Antwerp, Hamburg or Valencia, etc. which stand for the Core Ports in the European Union (EU) Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) Core and Comprehensive Network, the present paper addresses challenges and raises potentials immanent in Small and Medium-Sized Ports (SMSPs) in the EU. Environmental responsibility and digital efficiency – Europe’s twin to a green and digital economy paves the way for SMSPs to improve innovation capacity, upgrade demanded future skills and competencies, accelerate EU policies compliant operational, environmental, digital, social and market performance. The paper deploys a multi-case study approach. Using an ecosystem approach, the paper reveals potentials and pinpoints to key short- and long-term challenges pursuant to SMSPs in the three different EU macro-regions – Baltic Sea Region, Adriatic-Ionian Sea Region and Mediterranean Sea Region along the three TEN-T Core Network Corridors Orient-East Med, North Sea-Baltic and Scandinavian-Mediterranean. Departing from the role model – Baltic Sea Region – ports of Kaunas, Klaipeda & Wismar are connected via TEN-T corridors with ports of Bari and Corfu. In this vein, knowledge, skills and best practices are transferred from the North Europe to the South and vice versa using the concepts of co-creation and servitisation. Illustrated case studies reveal how all SMSPs are capable to kick-start environmental and digital transition through co-creation and servitisation mindset in a SMSP ecosystem conceptualisation.

TRANSPORT STRATEGY DURING MILITARY CONFLICT: PATHS TO RECOVERY AND INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENT

The transport sector is one of the vital sectors of the Ukrainian economy, encompassing a comprehensive railway network, road infrastructure, seaports, river terminals, airports, an extensive aviation network, an intricate network of public transportation routes, bus stations, and freight customs terminals. This creates the necessary conditions to meet the transportation needs of users and business development. However, the transport sector, in its entirety, only partially meets the basic transportation needs of the population and the economy in terms of volume, not quality. Moreover, the current state of the transportation sector does not fully comply with the requirements for the effective implementation of Ukraine's European integration course, international standards, ensuring the full implementation of Ukraine's international obligations, and the integration of the national transport network into the Trans-European Transport Network, which demands appropriate organizational, personnel, material resources, and a modern legal framework. In European countries, the development horizon for the transport sector mostly extends to 2030. Consequently, the primary programmatic document defining the goals and objectives for the development of Ukraine's transport sector, considering integration with the European transport system, is the National Transport Strategy of Ukraine for the period up to 2030 (hereinafter referred to as the Strategy), approved by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine on May 30, 2018, No. 430-r. The circumstances of martial law necessitate a review of the priority goals and measures of the Strategy. For this purpose, the Ministry of Community Development, Territories, and Infrastructure of Ukraine initiated a review of the Strategy with the development of an updated action plan involving consultants, representatives of the transport sector, and the scientific community. During the development of updated amendments to the Strategy, a balanced approach should be employed that responds to the expected future growth and changes in demand for transportation services, contributing to economic development, improving the quality of life, and efficient resource utilization. The aim of updating the Strategy is to restore the transport infrastructure affected by armed aggression to a qualitatively new level and to build an integrated transport network linked to the global transportation system, including the EU's transportation system. This will ensure the safe functioning and efficient transport complex of Ukraine, capable of meeting the transportation and other service needs in the transport sector, ensuring the defense capability of the state, competitiveness, and resilience of the national economy.

Personalised safe and secure truck parking area selection for C-ITS motorway services

Responding to the increasing need for higher safety and security in road freight transport, and to targeted legislation requiring freight drivers’ rest areas, this paper proposes a plan for deployment of safe and secure parking areas using personalised information from truck drivers. Disaggregate analysis with a combined stated preference and revealed preference approach leads to a specification for estimating the parking selection by the truck driver. The concept builds upon the upgrading of the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) infrastructure systems while integrating novel transport and logistic needs, and achieving this goal in an operationally safe, secure and efficient environment for the supply chain. Pilot implementation has included truck drivers who are looking to park in motorways in Greece.

Political Will and Economic Necessity? The Construction of High-Speed Rail Networks in Portugal and East Germany

Abstract This article aims two EU member countries (i.e. Portugal and Germany) from different regions in Europe which have, for decades, been following common strategies regarding HSR development. The authors discuss the economic profitability vs. political aims, which were related to rail modernization. The text outlines the historic background of early railway construction, important milestones for a new level of rail planning in the 1980s and 1990s in both Portugal and Germany and delays in the realization of HSR projects, their rising costs, and the opposition of the public against the new lines. The experience of the countries under scope serves as an example for other EU members who have plans to take part in the Trans-European Transport Network.

State, competiiveness and prospects of supply chains development in Ukraine context of European integration asprations

The state and peculiarities of the operation of supply chains in Ukraine under the conditions of martial law are considered. The fundamental impact of the Russian Federation's war in Ukraine on the current state of the domestic logistics infrastructure and on the Logistics Performance Index (LPI), the value of which is significantly related to the global competitiveness of the country, is characterized. Based on the results of the research of colleagues from the National University "Lviv Polytechnic" called "Logistics landscape-2022+", in which the authors of this article took an expert part in July-August 2022, presents the author's vision of the key factors that have affected supply chains, their modern state and development, the main characteristics of the current state of supply chains and logistics infrastructure in Ukraine and events that have radically affected their current state over the past almost three years are given. The study of the military operations impacts in Ukraine on the domestic logistics industry and, accordingly, on the competitiveness of supply chains integrated with the international space is characterized. The authors have determined their own vision of priorities in the management of supply chains in modern conditions in Ukraine, based on seven characteristics (criteria) of the supply chain proposed in the study "Logistics landscape-2022+". The characteristics of supply chains that according to the authors received the first three advantages are: 1) safety, 2) reliability, 3) flexibility of supply chains. It is emphasized that the mechanisms, tools, methodology, technologies, strategies for managing supply chains in conditions of disruptions / restoration of logistics should be based on digitalization of management of logistics business processes. It is proposed to pay special attention to the introduction of a procedural approach to managing the competitiveness of the logistics business. Conceptually, three interrelated blocks of indicators are proposed, their systematic assessment will allow to monitor and control the progress of operational, management and supporting business processes in supply chains. In the context of Ukraine's European integration steps, the advantages and problematic issues of including Ukrainian logistics routes in the Trans-European Transport Network TEN-T (Trans-European Transport Network) - a network of highways, railways, airports and waterways in the European Union, are considered. The authors hypothetically expressed the opinion that there is a close relationship between the position of Ukraine in the World Competitiveness Ranking and the state of its logistics infrastructure, taking into account the fact that the determining factors of competitiveness according to the results of 2021 were: level of innovations, digitalization, supportive policies and social cohesion. The authors see a retrospective analysis of the cause-and-effect relationships of the pre-war state and functioning of the Ukrainian logistics industry and forecasting its development in the perspective of European integration in post-war times as directions for further research.

An Interoperability Framework for electromobility (INFRA): The main results from the USER-CHI framework implementation in a new spotlight.

In 2021 the number of electric vehicles (EV) circulating in the European Union (EU) was higher than ever before. The innovative solutions of the user centric charging infrastructure (USER-CHI) project aim at devising the basic guidelines for an interoperable charging infrastructure for EV. The future goal is for users to be able to charge "anywhere, anytime". USER-CHI works towards a large-scale e-mobility market and the development of integrated smart solutions and new business models. These will be demonstrated in five urban areas, which are part of the Trans-European Transport Network corridor (Barcelona metropolitan area, Rome, Berlin, Budapest, and Turku). To make access to the charging infrastructure possible irrespectively of vehicle brands and operators, an analysis of the existing interoperability framework was considered essential within the USER-CHI project. Pursuant to this, the Institute for Climate Protection, Energy and Mobility (IKEM) developed INFRA (Interoperability Framework) , a study that contains an analysis of the four layers that condition interoperability in the electromobility sector (organizational, semantic, technical and legal). Building on this analysis, the existing barriers for interoperability in each layer were identified and guidelines and recommendations were elaborated. The baseline of this paper are the role schemes, guidelines and recommendations elaborated for INFRA summarized in minimum requirements within each layer. The INFRA results are already available on CORDIS. In addition, further desk research shows the latest developments in the EU regarding electromobility and puts INFRA in the context of the most recent discourse. The new insights of this paper offer an updated overall short summary of the main requirements for an interoperability framework for electromobility in the EU. In conclusion the current developments underline the importance of the minimum requirements identified in INFRA and first steps towards a more interoperable infrastructure system have been taken.

Building Europe's next 'Channel Tunnel'

A new 18km-long undersea tunnel is being constructed to link Germany and Denmark, once completed, people can travel between Puttgarden - at the tip of Fehmarn (the German island that is the tunnel's namesake) - and the Danish port of Rødby in just 10 minutes by car, or 7 by train. The European Union, which incorporated it into its continent-spanning Trans-European Transport Network strategy, hopes that the Fehmarn tunnel will complement the 55km Brenner Base Tunnel, which will link Austria and Italy under the Alps, to form the Scandinavian-Mediterranean freight corridor, and will help Europe meet its environmental goals by taking freight off of the road. Unlike other projects, the Fehmarn link won't be bored beneath the seabed, but will sit on top of it, as an immersed tunnel that will be buried inside a trench dug on the seafloor. The article details the plan to build the tunnel, by slicing up the tunnel tube into elements, each of which will be pre-cast in concrete on land, in a purpose-built factory at Rødbyhavn on Lolland, it will be floated out to sea and sunk into position. Innovative solutions were also found for the ventilation system and servicing infrastructure.