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About

About the Trans-European Motorways (TEM) Project

The UNECE Trans-European Motorways (TEM) Project is a sub-regional cooperation among Central, Eastern and South Eastern European countries.

The main objectives are:
  • To facilitate road traffic in Europe,
  • To improve the quality and efficiency of transport operations,
  • To balance existing gaps and disparities between motorway networks in Western, Eastern, Central and South-Eastern Europe, and
  • To assist the integration process of European transport infrastructure systems

TEM is the backbone of the Pan -European Road Corridors in CEE and of the TINA exercise. It is an important tool to coordinate activities across borders. By cooperating on transport infrastructure development, the region should see overall growth and prosperity.

Basic facts:
  • TEM was established in 1977
  • Initial financial support was provided by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
  • The executing agency is UNECE
  • There are 15 member countries:  Armenia, Austria (associate member), Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Georgia, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and Turkey
  • 4 other countries have observer status: Montenegro, Serbia, Sweden and Ukraine
  • Azerbaijani membership is pending, awaiting signature for accession

Structure

The TEM Project is organized around three pillars:

1. The active participation and support of member countries through the Trust Fund Agreement, deposited with UNECE, which nominates the Project's Steering Committee as its highest administrative and political body, formed by national delegates from each participating country.

2. The Project Central Office in Warsaw, hosted by the Government of Poland, with Project office personnel coordinating activities

3. National Project Offices set up or designated in each participating country to liaise between national activities and those under the Project. These national officers operate under the responsibility of a nominated National Coordinator from every member.

The annual and longer term action plans are set by the Steering Committees and the work is done by the Project's office personnel, Working Groups, Ad hoc Expert Groups, and when required by external consultants in close co-operation with member countries.

Flyer presenting the Trans-European Motorways (TEM) Project, available in English: