The Trans-European networks were created by the European Union by Articles 154-156 of the Maastricht Treaty (1992), with the stated goals of the creation of an internal market and the reinforcement of economic and social cohesion.
Three classes of network were defined by the treaty:
- Trans-European transport networks (TEN-T)
- Trans-European energy network (TEN-E or TEN-Energy)
- Trans-European telecommunications network (eTEN)
