Description
On 3 July, the European Commission selected 94 transport projects to receive almost EUR 2.8 billion in EU subsidies under the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF). By modernising railways, inland waterways and maritime routes through the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T), the projects will not only help to better connect European regions and cities, from north to south, east to west, but also make the EU's internal market more competitive and resilient.
Europe's green transition runs on rail
Rail transport will receive the largest share of the funding - 77% of the total - with investments earmarked for major infrastructure modernisations through the core TEN-T and extended networks, particularly in the cohesion countries. This includes the construction of Rail Baltica in the Baltic region and Poland and improvements in Greece and Slovakia. High-speed railway lines will also be developed in Czechia and Poland.
In addition, 32 projects in 11 member states - including Austria, Germany, Italy and Poland - will implement the European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS) on trains and tracks, improving rail safety and cross-border interoperability.
Greener ports and greater resilience
The EU is investing in a number of projects to reduce the environmental impact of maritime and inland waterway transport. This includes upgrading ports in Ireland, Cyprus, Malta, Croatia and Poland with shore-side electricity to reduce emissions from ships at berth. Support will also be given to the construction and modernisation of multipurpose icebreakers in Estonia, Finland and Sweden to enhance the safety and resilience of submarine cables, in line with the recent EU Action Plan. Digital traffic management systems will be implemented in France and Spain to improve the safety and efficiency of short sea shipping and reduce congestion.
For inland waterways, France will see improvements along the Rhine, while digitisation of waterway transport will be advanced in Belgium.
Smarter and safer transport networks
In the road transport sector, safe parking areas will be built or modernised in 10 Member States, including Germany, France, Italy and Romania. The projects will also support the deployment of cooperative intelligent transport systems (C-ITS), improving road safety and traffic flow, particularly in urban areas.
Air traffic management projects will continue to contribute to the development of the Single European Sky in order to create a safer, more efficient and sustainable air transport system. This will reduce congestion, reduce emissions and improve the overall air travel experience.
Urban mobility will also benefit, with funding to prepare for the construction or modernisation of multimodal passenger hubs in cities such as Leuven (Belgium), Norrköping (Sweden), Nice and Marseille (France) and Bolzano (Italy). These hubs will provide seamless connections between different modes of transport, making it easier for people to get around the city.
Strategic investment and solidarity
The EU is building on its efforts to strengthen the EU-Ukraine solidarity corridors, with projects to improve rail connectivity and border crossings between Slovakia and Ukraine and between Romania and Moldova. EU support will help Ukraine adopt the EU standard rail gauge, facilitating seamless cross-border rail traffic and promoting regional trade.
The EU will also support a project to improve the accessibility and resilience of infrastructure in the Arctic region, ensuring safe supply routes and developing dual-use infrastructure that can withstand the impacts of climate change.
On 2 July, the CEF Committee approved the list of 94 selected projects. The Commission will now formally adopt the selection decision and CINEA will start preparing grant agreements for the selected projects. These agreements should be finalised by October 2025. The results are currently provisional and will only become official once the Commission has adopted the corresponding award decision.
The 94 projects were selected from a pool of 258 applications submitted under the recent call for proposals, which closed on 21 January 2025.
EU funding for these projects will take the form of grants, used to co-finance the total eligible project costs.
The MCE Transport programme for the period 2021-2027 has a total budget of EUR 25.8 billion. It is available to fund projects in all EU Member States as well as in Ukraine and Moldova, two countries associated with the MCE. With the current selection, 95 per cent of this budget has already been allocated.
Since its launch in 2014, the Connecting Europe Facility has supported 1861 projects (including the current selection of 94 projects), totalling €47.34 billion in the transport sector.
Source and image: European Commission - European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency