The Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) funding mechanism will be confirmed for the 2028-2034 period and its wallet for transport, the main funding mechanism for rail projects in Europe, will be doubled. The portion dedicated to military mobility is also being exponentially increased, getting 10 times larger than in the previous CEF package.
The total funds which will be made available for transport through this third round of CEF are doubling from 25,8 to 51,5 billion euros, EU transport commissioner Apostolos Tzitzikostas highlighted. Out of this package, 17,65 billion euros will be earmarked for military mobility. “This is a big leap forward. 10-time increase” compared to the previous CEF round, he said.
International connectivity at the core
After fears of losing the CEF mechanism altogether, this move seems to underline a change of mindset. More money for railway projects is a strategy more in line with the EU’s decarbonisation policies. “Between 2028 and 2034, we absolutely must complete the cross-border sections of the TEN-T network”, Tzitzikostas claimed.
More funds to military mobility, on the other hand, echo the current geopolitical situation and the EU’s intention to rearm itself. “We are already working closely with the military community to ensure we have a solid pipeline of projects ready for 2028”, the transport commissioner added, pointing out the importance of cross-border projects.
The CEF III package is part of the new EU’s Multiannual Financial Framework for 2028-2034, which could see a record budget of two trillion euros. Usually, most of the CEF funds for transport go to rail projects, but a lot of the resources have been allocated to a relatively small number of initiatives, as think tank T&E recently criticised.