The European Commission unveiled a list of 195 transport projects that will receive EUR 6.7 billion of funding under the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF). This investment is expected to unlock additional public and private co-financing for a combined amount of EUR 9.6 billion. The selected projects will notably contribute to the digitalisation and decarbonisation of transport, in line with the broader political agenda of this Commission. The Member States eligible for the Cohesion Fund received almost 85% of the funding, which will help bridging the infrastructure disparities across the EU.
EU Commissioner for Transport Violeta Bulc said, “The total investment of EUR 9.6 billion could create up to 100,000 jobs in the European economy by 2030. The projects will make European infrastructure safer, more sustainable and more efficient for passengers and business alike. I am pleased to see that the Western Balkan Region will also receive some funding, bringing its transport infrastructure closer to the EU’s.”
The list of the selected projects can be consulted at http://ec.europa.eu/transport/themes/infrastructure/ten-t-guidelines/project-funding/doc/cef/2015-cef-selected-proposals.pdf
Selected projects are primarily located on the core trans-European transport network (TEN-T). Among the beneficiaries are flagship initiatives such as the rehabilitation of the Brasov –Sighisoara section in Romania (combined railways / track-side ERTMS) (CEF co-funding of EUR 440 million), Railway connection Aveiro – Vilar Formoso in Portugal (EUR 376 million), Development of standard gauge railway line in the Rail Baltic corridor (EUR 202 million), Modernisation of railway line E30 (Zabrze – Katowice – Krakow section) in Poland (EUR 410 million) and Galati Multimodal Platform in Romania (EUR 21.7 million).
Launched in November 2015, the second CEF calls for proposals generated 406 eligible project proposals. With EUR 12.49 billion of requested EU funding, the calls were widely oversubscribed. This allowed the Commission to select the projects with the highest European added value, while guaranteeing a balanced distribution geographically and between the transport modes. EUR 5.6 billion has been earmarked for Member States eligible for the Cohesion Fund. The contribution to other Commission priority actions, such as the Energy Union or the Digital Single Market, was also evaluated during the selection process.
The proposed funding decision must now be formally approved by the Connecting Europe Facility Coordination Committee, which will meet on 8 July 2016. Adoption of the decision by the Commission is expected for end July 2016. The individual grant agreements will then be prepared by the Innovation and Networks Executive Agency (INEA) and signed with the project beneficiaries in the second half of 2016.
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