This paper assesses the economic justification for the selection of priority projects defined under the
auspices of the Trans-European transport network. In analyzing the current list of 30 priority projects, we
apply three different transport models to undertake a cost-benefit comparison. We find that many projects
do not pass the cost-benefit test and only a few of the economically justifiable projects would need
European subsidies to make them happen. Two remedies are proposed to minimize the inefficiencies in
future project selection. The first remedy obliges each member state or group of states to perform a costbenefit
analysis (followed by a peer review) and to make the results public prior to ranking priority
projects. The second remedy would require federal funding to be available only for projects with important
spillovers to other countries, in order to avoid pork barrel behaviour.

• Mot-clé
  RESEAU TRANSEUROPEEN DE TRANSPORT, PROJET, INVESTISSEMENT, INFRASTRUCTURE DE TRANSPORT, ANALYSE ECONOMIQUE, POLITIQUE EUROPEENNE DES TRANSPORTS, CORRIDOR DE FRET, COMPARAISON, ANALYSE DE COUT