Photo by Simon Huguet
(BRUSSELS) – The EU Commission unveiled Friday a list of 195 transport projects set to receive EUR 6.7 billion of funding under its Connecting Europe Facility – expected to unlock additional public and private co-financing to a combined amount of EUR 9.6 bn.
The selected projects will contribute to the digitalisation and decarbonisation of transport, in line with the EU’s broader political agenda.
Member States eligible for the Cohesion Fund received almost 85% of the funding, with the aim of helping to bridge infrastructure disparities across the EU.
Commissioner Jyrki Katainen invited all potential project promoters “to explore investment possibilities under the Investment Plan for Europe, and in particular the newly launched European Investment Project Portal (EIPP), which gives worldwide visibility to transport project.”
Transport Commissioner 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,” she said.
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 rail section in Romania, the railway connection Aveiro Vilar Formoso in Portugal, the development of standard gauge railway line in the Rail Baltic corridor, the implementation of the SESAR Deployment Programme and the modernisation of railway line E30 (Zabrze Katowice Krakow section) in Poland.
The second CEF calls for proposals generated 406 eligible project proposals and was well over-subscribed. EUR 5.6 bn has been earmarked for Member States eligible for the Cohesion Fund.
The EU’s financial contribution is made in the form of grants, the co-financing rate of which is between 20% and 50% of the eligible costs of a given project, depending on its type. As regards projects submitted under the Cohesion call, the maximum co-funding rates can go up to 85% of the eligible costs.
Under the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF), EUR 24.05 bn will be made available from the EU’s 2014-2020 budget to co-fund TEN-T projects in the EU Member States. Of this amount, EUR 11.305 bn will be available for projects in Member States eligible for the Cohesion Fund.
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