The Member States 25 March 1957, Consolidated version of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union#PART THREE - UNION POLICIES AND INTERNAL ACTIONS#TITLE XVI - TRANS-EUROPEAN NETWORKS#Article 172(ex Article 156 TEC)

2. Within the framework of a system of open and competitive markets, action by the Union shall aim at promoting the interconnection and interoperability of national networks as well as access to such networks. It shall take account in particular of the need to link island, landlocked and peripheral regions with the central regions of the Union. Article 171 (ex Article 155 TEC) 1.