The European Commission has launched the 2023 CEF Transport calls for proposals with EUR 7 billion available for projects targeting new and improved European transport infrastructure.
The proposed projects should be submitted electronically before 30 January 2024, via the Funding & Tenders Portal Electronic Submission System.
The projects cand be submitted by one or more member states, international organisations or public or private bodies established in an EU member state.
Projects bolstering the Ukraine Solidarity Lanes, set up to facilitate Ukraine’s exports and imports, will also be eligible. For the first time, entities from Ukraine and Moldova can apply directly for EU funding with this call, since the signature of the CEF Association Agreements with the two countries earlier this year.
“This call for proposals will be the largest in terms of available budget under the 2021-2027 Connecting Europe Facility,” the Commissioner for Transport, Adina Vălean said, adding that the financing will “support a smart and sustainable transport system, with a strong focus on cross-border projects between Member States. These challenging times have also reinforced the importance of having a strong transport network of railways, inland waterways and maritime routes which will increase our industry’s competitiveness, bring citizens closer together, and anchor Ukraine and Moldova firmly into the EU.”
“For the first time, Ukraine can apply for funding for its own infrastructure projects along the Solidarity Lanes and in view of TEN-T network. In fact, this means the same basis as EU Member States,” the Deputy Prime Minister for Restoration of Ukraine, Oleksandr Kubrakov said, following a meeting with the EC Commissioner for Transport, Adina Vălean, on September 25, in Brussels. Ukraine is allowed to submit projects under an agreement signed with the European Commission in June 2023.
The calls cover the Core and Comprehensive TEN-T networks including railways, inland waterways and maritime and inland ports, rail-road terminals, multimodal logistics platforms and passenger hubs, aa well as projects involving digital and intelligent solutions for smart and interoperable applications for transport, safe and secure mobility, road safety as well as infrastructure resilience.
The calls support the European Commission’s vision of a future sustainable transport system, with smart and resilient solutions implemented to interconnect Europe.
The EU needs an efficient and interconnected multimodal transport system for both passengers and freight. This includes an affordable, reliable and performing rail network, an enhanced inland waterways navigation and infrastructure in maritime ports, a balanced interconnection between transport modes and an increased automation and interoperability for greater efficiency and safety of the transport network.
Under the CEF programme, EUR 25.6 billion is available for grants from the EU’s 2021 – 2027 budget to co-fund the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) projects in the EU Member States. Since 2014 the CEF programme has supported over 1,300 projects with a total of EUR 29.8 billion in the transport sector. The call for proposals supports projects under the General and Cohesion envelopes of the CEF Transport programme.
Projects funded under the 2023 CEF Transport calls will help to increase the sustainability of the trans-European transport network (TEN-T), putting the EU on track to meet the European Green Deal objective of cutting transport emissions by 90% by 2050.
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