The European Commission has opened a €1.1 billion ($1.26 billion) funding call to build and modernise transport infrastructure across the European Union, with high-speed rail and military mobility among its central priorities.
The call for proposals, launched under the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF), is the last of its kind under the bloc’s long-term budget for 2021-2027. Applications can be submitted until October 6.
The Commission said the selected projects would advance the EU’s high-speed rail plan and its industrial action plan for the European car industry, while strengthening maritime connectivity in line with recently presented maritime and ports strategies.
The funding would also reinforce Europe’s defence readiness by tackling bottlenecks in military mobility and supporting the swift roll-out of the EU’s military mobility package, the Commission added. Of the total, €130 million has been earmarked for moving troops and equipment more quickly across the continent.
Brussels has placed growing emphasis on so-called dual-use infrastructure, in which roads, bridges and railways are strengthened to carry both civilian traffic and heavy military hardware, as member states press ahead with rearmament against the backdrop of the war in Ukraine.
The call would prioritise rail and the decarbonisation of maritime transport and military mobility, alongside the electrification of road haulage and airport ground operations. It also covers charging infrastructure at seaports and inland ports and the digitalisation of road transport.
Ukraine and Moldova have been included in the call, which the Commission said reflected the strengthening of their transport links with the bloc. Both countries are formal candidates for EU membership and have been progressively folded into the bloc’s programmes.
The CEF is the EU’s flagship instrument for funding the trans-European transport network (TEN-T), a planned web of rail lines, roads, ports and airports intended to knit member states together. Some €25.8 billion has been set aside for transport grants under the current budget.
Grants under the latest call are expected to range from €10 million to €100 million per project, depending on the priority and the number of member states involved. An online information session for applicants is due to take place on June 24.
