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Hello and good evening to Olof you. Thank you very much for being here.

Ladies and gentlemen,

this is by far the biggest ever Connecting Europe Days that has ever been organized.

And I'm not surprised to be frank with you.

Because transport has always been key for all sections of our economy and our industry. And of course our society.

But today we are seeing just how much transport matters.

The diversity of participants here underlines how transport affects so many aspects of our daily lives.

We have industry CEOs from all transport modes and from across Europe.

We have port and airport representatives alongside cycling and passenger advocates. We have academics and military personnel.

We have ministers and transport workers from all across Europe because simply Transport connects. It connects people. It connects businesses. It connects regions.

And of course it connects Europe to the world.

We have world leading manufacturers across the transport modes in Europe.

We have a dense network of railways, roads, ports, inland waterways, and airports.

Our trans-European transport network, our TEN-T links them,

creating the backbone of our single market.

We have 11 million transport workers keeping Europe moving every day.

And adding 5% of the EU's GDP each year.

But of course we can always do better.

And in the current global climate, we have to do better.

We have to get better at competing internationally as our rivals become. Daily, more aggressive.

We have to strengthen the resilience of our transport infrastructure.

And our services Against attacks from hostile actors, extreme weather events,

software errors, pandemics, you name it, so many other threats.

And we have to invest in the modernization, innovation,

and transport links that will give us more connectivity, more competitiveness, and more resilience.

The EU's role is to get member states,

sectors, and transport modes working together.

To ensure that each corner of Europe is well connected.

To establish a common standards that enable smooth cross-border travel.

And of course to support investment in transport infrastructure.

The Trans-European Transport Network, or TEN-T is central to all these objectives.

And that is why The 10 is at the very heart of the EU transport policy. Through the Connecting Europe facility. We have already funded.

1850 transport infrastructure projects along the TEN-T with more than €46 billion since 2014,

so in 12 years. And some of these are truly transformational.

Take the Brunner Bay tunnel, for example,

a 64 kilometer railway line through the Alps, which will connect Innsbruck. In Austria. With Fortesa In Italy.

Or take for example, the 58 kilometers of the Lion Turin Tunnel,

which will also run beneath the Alps and is due to open. Just in 2033. Or take Real Baltica.

Which will connect the Baltic states with Poland and the rest of Europe,

shrinking distances between Tallinn, Riga, Vilnius, with major markets all across the EU. These are flagship projects.

But for citizens around Europe, it is often the local projects.

That make the biggest difference in their everyday life.

Take the Eugeni Bridge over the Pruitt River, connecting Romania and Moldova, for example,

which will reduce travel time by 30%,

or the various security lorry parks along major freight routes across Europe.

To allow our drivers to have safe and secure places for parking. These projects may be smaller at scale.

But they are essential to making our network work, our economy work.

But funding, ladies and gentlemen, is only part of what we do. We also use policy.

To make transport safer, more efficient, and easier to navigate. Our action plan on high speed rail. Is a good example.

Because one of the reasons people sometimes choose not to take the train for longer journeys is very simple. Time.

But if you could travel between Berlin and Copenhagen in 4 hours instead of 7 hours that it takes today,

the train suddenly becomes a more appealing option.

And that's exactly what we want to do.

And this connection, by the way, is one of the targets for 2030 along with many others.

A project that will be completed by 2040.

High-speed rail in Europe connecting all major cities. Not only the capitals.

By 2035, for example, Sofia and Athens will be just six hours apart by train. Instead of 14 hours today. High speed rail will benefit both business. And leisure travelers.

If visitors can move between the Baltic capitals easily or travel from Paris to Lisbon via Madrid.

They are more likely to consider Europe for their holidays. It's as simple as that.

People can see more, experience more, make better use of their time instead of spending it.

On a train And by connecting high-speed services with local services, we also open up lesser known destination for tourists,

sharing the benefits of tourism more wisely and more widely and addressing at the same time the unbalanced tourism that we see in some destinations.

So what to do, so what we need to do now. First, we need binding timelines.

By 27, we will set those timelines to remove major cross-border and national bottlenecks. Second, we need a financing strategy.

This is work that we're already doing at the Commission.

And third, we need to make it easier for people to book cross-border rail trips.

And that's exactly what we did, proposing legislation last month to make it possible.

If we want to travel from Paris to Budapest, we should be able to find,

compare, combine services from different transport modes and different operators easily with one click.

Whether that means several train companies, a bus operator, or an airline.

And our proposal on rail ticketing requires ticket platforms to display offers in a neutral way.

Having seen the options, if we decide to take the train, we will be able to buy a single ticket,

even if it involves taking 3 trains run by 3 different operators and across border.

And finally, I also want to mention another important policy that is now making it through the legislative process.

And for which we had a very interesting debate earlier. Military mobility. Ladies and gentlemen, the world has changed.

We can no longer afford To neglect security and defense. And to defend the continent.

We need to be able to cross it quickly, efficiently, with speed.

Thanks to the TEN-T, Europe has a dense transport network,

but parts of that network need to be upgraded for military use.

We need wider tunnels, stronger bridges, deeper ports. Bigger airports.

We are not talking about building new infrastructure here.

In most cases, we can adapt existing infrastructure for dual use,

military and civilian.

And that means that these investments will benefit all Europeans.

Every euro spent on these projects will benefit the economy,

society, And of course our security.

Ladies and gentlemen, we have a lot to do to complete the TENT. And to prepare Europe for military mobility. We have identified the priorities.

We are ready to go, but we need investment,

and this is why we have proposed €51.5 billion for the Connecting Europe facility in the new MFF.

And €17.6 billion Only for military mobility projects.

The EU budget for the next programming period is currently under discussion,

as you know, negotiations between the European Parliament and the member states.

And I have urged both sides at every opportunity. To Maciej our ambition.

To agree on a figure that allows us to translate our project plans into efficient,

safe, and reliable roads, railways, ports, inland waterways, and airports.

Their decision will have a real impact on the ability of our transport network to keep Europe connected,

competitive, resilient, and secure. So we need to invest in infrastructure.

And we need Money To be able to do so.

Ultimately That is what it is about keeping Europe connected, open.

And moving forward A Europe where people can travel more easily.

Businesses can compete more effectively and goods can move safely and efficiently across our borders. Without funding We cannot deliver.

And if we don't deliver infrastructure, Our single market and our competitiveness will be at risk.

And that is why I urge you today. To communicate and to send a message.

That we need to stay the course when it comes to the Commission proposal for the next MFF budget for infrastructure projects.

Ladies and gentlemen, We need to build a Europe. That is secure and competitive. And connecting Europe Days.

Is about basically turning This ambition to reality.

So thank you again very much for being here.

And I want to thank the 4500 people. That have attended these two days. Fruitful discussions will take place.

Wonderful moments with a beautiful exhibition and several side events will also happen.

And I surely invite you all to join us. Today and tomorrow. Thank you very much.