41. Stresses, also, the importance of improving the interconnection of energy grids and completing the Euro-Mediterranean and Euro-Atlantic electricity and gas infrastructure rings and the Baltic energy market interconnection plan, while also modernising and upgrading the existing fleet of electricity and gas power plants and infrastructure (interconnections, grids, pipelines, transmission networks, storage and LNG terminals); these measures should ensure that no Member State remains an energy island and that energy can flow freely throughout the EU; in this respect, welcomes the proposed Connecting Europe Facility;

17. Welcomes the Commission proposal on TEN-T priority projects; notes however that the resources allocated for 30 transport priority projects as well as for the Marco Polo programme constitute a minimum amount which must be regarded as subject to upward revision; underlines the strategic importance of transport networks for final consolidation of the EU single market and for closer EU relations with candidate, pre-candidate and 'ring of friends' countries; notes that the interconnection of transport networks can underpin the development of trade and investment, thereby promoting sustainability and stability as well as social, economi ...[+++]c and geographical cohesion; calls for adequate funding for the development of transport interconnections and common infrastructure shared by the countries; insists that this funding should be conditional on guarantees by the Member States of adequate counterpart funding and adequate access to the network for the regions concerned, and is willing to examine innovative financing instruments such as loan guarantees, European concessions, European loans and an interest relief fund, to cover public and private-sector investment only in research, innovation, space and major physical and non-physical networks, or EIB facilities;

Possibilities include new gas networks and connection projects between North Africa and Europe, as well as electricity interconnections and cooperation between Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia; a gas pipeline from Egypt through Jordan, Lebanon, Syria to Turkey and the EU; electricity interconnections between Israel and Palestinian territories; development of a blueprint for sub-regional inter-modal transport networks in the Maghreb and in the Near East, including rail and road infrastructure interconnections and maritime transport; improvements at border crossings and ports-hinterland connections.

(84) With regard to the interconnection market of fixed and mobile networks, the termination traffic to be measured should include own network traffic and interconnection traffic received from all other fixed and mobile networks, national or international.

(1) Directive 2002/21/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 7 March 2002 on a common regulatory framework for electronic communications networks and services (Framework Directive)(4) lays down the objectives of a regulatory framework to cover electronic communications networks and services in the Community, including fixed and mobile telecommunications networks, cable television networks, networks used for terrestrial broadcasting, satellite networks and Internet networks, whether used for voice, fax, data or images.

- "satellite network services" means the establishment and operation of satellite earth station networks; these services consist, as a minimum, in the establishment, by satellite earth stations, of radiocommunications to space segment ("uplinks"), and in the establishment of radiocommunications between space segment and satellite earth stations ("downlinks");