Team Europe approach for Transport Infrastructure
Vienna, 10 October 2025: The EIC Workshop on 10 October 2025, held during the Autumn Conference in Vienna, attracted more than 90 delegates for a vivid discussion on ‘Boosting the Team Europe Approach for Global Gateway Transport Infrastructure Funding’. The event was opened by an interview of Austrian TV anchor-woman and Workshop moderator, Nadja Bernhard, with the former Austrian Chancellor, Sebastian Kurz, on the current geopolitical and geo-economic challenges for Europe.
EU Perspective on the 'Team Europe' Approach
The first session was dedicated to gain a better understanding of the EU perspective on the ‘Team Europe’ approach for sustainable transport infrastructure. The co-chair of the Global Gateway Business Advisory Transport Sub-Group, Luis Martí from Acciona, shared his interim conclusions after two years of work in the Business Advisory Group with a focus on procurement conditions and the OECD rules on Tied Aid. Marta Brites from DG ENEST and Sergio Oliete-Josa from DG INTPA highlighted the existing support mechanisms of the European Commission and corresponding market opportunities related to transport infrastructure projects in Eastern Europe, Sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America, including the new Global Gateway ‘Investment Hub’. The Directors for Mobility and for Housing, Cities and Regions from the EIB Projects Directorate, Max Jensen and Tanguy Desrousseaux, presented an overview and insights of EIB-financed transport projects outside the EU.
Best Practice Recommendations for 'Team Europe' Approach
The second session identified Best Practice recommendations for the ‘Team Europe’ approach for sustainable transport infrastructure. The Director and Chief Procurement Officer of the World Bank, Hiba Tahboub, familiarised the EIC audience in a video message with a fundamental shift in the Bank’s procurement policy which required a 50% minimum quality weighting for most international competitive procurement, emphasising value for money beyond just price. The Head of the Procurement Unit of the EIB, Alaleh Motamedi, presented the results of an EIB survey on ‘Barriers in Procurement for EU companies when competing in non-EU markets’ and the EIB Strategic Procurement roadmap which had been approved by the EIB Management in December 2024. The Director for Public Sector at the Dutch Invest International, Lara de Graaff-Muller, and the Managing Director of Public Infrastructure Finance at Impact Fund Denmark, Tina Kollerup Hansen, shared the visions of ‘Team National’ stakeholders to boost the Team Europe approach by joining forces at an early stage and a more strategic look at the tying of aid. The President of EFCA, Ines Ferguson, reminded the audience of the important role that European consulting engineers were playing in ensuring high-quality and sustainable tender documents.
Conclusions
In his concluding remarks, EIC President Gustavo Martínez, acknowledged the progress made by the European Commission, by the European Investment Bank and by certain EU Member States' agencies to improve their collaboration since the inception of Global Gateway. Yet, European international contractors were still suffering from an unlevel playing field in transport infrastructure tenders financed from EU taxpayers’ money. He therefore called on both Team Europe and Team Nationals to integrate European international contractors early in the project identification process, and to adjust the current procurement rules and regulations to give European companies a fair chance to compete.
Links for further information
The presentations from the Workshop are available on the Speaker’s section on the Vienna Conference Website.