13. Points out that transport networks play a leading role in spatial planning policies; stresses the particular importance of major transport infrastructure, such as high-speed railways, in boosting local development; considers that the macro-regions and the strategies for their development have the potential to play a more active role in the implementation of a coordinated, effective and sustainable transport policy; recalls the importance of drawing up, planning and implementing joint transport infrastructure strategies, as well as the need to disseminate best practices in the field of transport; stresses that EU citizens and ente ...[+++]rprises will be direct beneficiaries of a single European transport area which has as its goals a reduction in the time and resources taken up by freight and passenger transport and closer integration of the markets;

4. Points out that transport networks play a leading role in spatial planning policies; stresses the particular importance of major transport infrastructure, such as high speed railways, in boosting local development; considers that the macro-regions and the strategies for their development have the potential to play a more active role in the implementation of a coordinated, effective and sustainable transport policy; recalls the importance of drawing up, planning and implementing joint transport infrastructure strategies, as well as the need to disseminate best practices in the field of transport; stresses that EU citizens and enter ...[+++]prises will be direct beneficiaries of a single European transport area with, as its goal, a reduction in the time and resources allocated to freight and passenger transport, and closer integration of the markets;

Priority projects which contribute to the completion of the single market in the enlarged Union and to the re-balancing of transport modes in favour of the most environmentally friendly, notably for long distance freight transport. To this end, all requests to finance high speed rail lines must be accompanied by a plan showing how the infrastructure capacity released on existing lines due to the transfer of passenger traffic to the high speed line will be used for the development of freight traffic;

To this end, each Member State shall take all appropriate steps to ensure that these subsystems may be placed in service only if they are designed, constructed and installed in such a way that they do not compromise compliance with the essential requirements concerning them when integrated into the trans-European high-speed rail system.

The Integrated Operational Programme for Andalusia 2000-2006 provides, furthermore, for co-financing from the Structural Funds for the construction of this link, that is, of 155 km of double-track line connecting Cordoba to Malaga at a maximum speed of 350 kph, thereby extending the high-speed Madrid-Cordoba-Seville line towards the south-east.

In its White Paper entitled ‘A strategy for revitalising the Community's railways’ in 1996, the Commission announced a second measure in the conventional rail sector and then ordered a study on the integration of national rail systems, the results of which were published in May 1998 with the recommendation of the adoption of a Directive based on the approach taken in the high-speed sector.