The European Union has announced plans to invest a record €7 billion in sustainable, safe, and smart transport infrastructure. The funding, which is the largest call under the current Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) Transport programme, will support 134 transport projects across the EU.
The majority of the funding, around 83%, will be allocated to projects that align with the EU’s climate objectives. These include initiatives to improve and modernise the EU network of railways, inland waterways, and maritime routes along the trans-European transport (TEN-T) network. Rail projects will receive the lion’s share of the funding, accounting for 80% of the €7 billion.
Key projects set to receive funding include improvements to cross-border rail connections along the TEN-T core network in the Baltic Member States (Rail Baltica), between France and Italy (Lyon-Turin), and between Denmark and Germany (Fehmarnbelt tunnel). Additionally, around 20 maritime ports across 11 countries will receive support for infrastructure upgrades, some of which will enable them to supply shore-side electricity to ships.
Inland waterway infrastructure will also see improvements, with projects aimed at enhancing cross-border connections between France and Belgium in the Seine-Scheldt basin, and between Romania and Bulgaria on the Danube. For road transport, the focus will be on launching cooperative Intelligent Transport Systems and Services (ITS) and creating new, safe and secure parking areas.
Air traffic management projects will continue to develop a Single European Sky to make air transport more efficient, safer, and more sustainable. Furthermore, several projects will enable greater capacity along the EU-Ukraine Solidarity Lanes, set up to facilitate imports and exports between Ukraine and the EU.
The funding decision follows the approval of the project list by the Member States. The Commission will officially adopt the financing decision, after which CINEA will start preparing grant agreements. The results are provisional and will become definitive once the Commission adopts the corresponding award decision.
Commissioner for Climate Action and responsible for transport, Wopke Hoekstra, commented, “This is the largest call under the current CEF Transport programme. The selected projects will help transform Europe’s transport network, making cleaner transport modes more efficient and attractive for passengers and freight while enhancing safety across the TEN-T. I am especially pleased that several projects supporting the EU-Ukraine Solidarity Lanes have been funded. These new corridors are of key importance to help integrate Ukraine and Moldova into the EU.”
The funding is part of the CEF Transport programme for 2021-2027, which has €25.8 billion available for grants to co-fund TEN-T projects in the Member States. Since 2014, CEF has supported over 1,500 projects with €37.5 billion in the transport sector. The updated TEN-T Regulation, which comes into effect on July 18, will further enhance efforts to create a sustainable and resilient transport network within the EU.
