EU Allocates €2.8 Billion for 94 Major Transport Projects Across Europe

Lead

On Wednesday, the European Commission announced the selection of 94 transport infrastructure projects across the EU, Ukraine, and Moldova that will receive nearly €2.8 billion in grants under the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF). These investments are designed to enhance cross-border connectivity, decarbonize freight and passenger transit, and strengthen the EU’s internal market and geopolitical resilience.

Railways Drive the Green Transition

Rail transport will absorb the lion’s share of the funding—77% of the total—focusing on upgrades to core corridors of the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T), especially in cohesion countries. Notable initiatives include the construction of Rail Baltica in the Baltic region and Poland, and high-speed lines in Czechia and Poland.

Meanwhile, 46 projects across 11 Member States—including Austria, Germany, Hungary, and Italy—will deploy the European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS), aiming to enhance safety and interoperability across national borders.

Cleaner Ports, Resilient Maritime Routes

The CEF funding will support efforts to reduce the environmental footprint of maritime and inland waterway transport. Ports in Ireland, Cyprus, Malta, Croatia, and Poland will be equipped with shore-side electricity infrastructure, allowing ships to reduce emissions while docked.

Other maritime projects include the construction of multi-purpose icebreakers in Estonia, Finland, and Sweden, intended to safeguard undersea cables and maintain secure routes. France and Spain will roll out digital traffic management systems to ease congestion and increase maritime safety.

For inland waterways, France will receive upgrades along the Rhine, and Belgium will implement new digital navigation technologies to enhance transport efficiency.

Modernizing Roads and Urban Mobility

Road safety remains a priority, with projects in 10 Member States—including France, Germany, and Romania—focusing on safe and secure truck parking. Simultaneously, Cooperative Intelligent Transport Systems (C-ITS) will be expanded to manage urban traffic more effectively and increase road safety.

Air traffic modernization under the Single European Sky initiative will continue, helping reduce flight delays, emissions, and congestion. Urban mobility projects in cities like Leuven, Norrköping, Nice, Marseille, and Bolzano will see funding for multimodal transit hubs, encouraging seamless transport integration.

Solidarity Projects with Ukraine and Moldova

The EU is reinforcing its geopolitical resilience by improving cross-border rail links with Ukraine and Moldova. These projects include upgraded border crossings and the introduction of standard EU railway gauges, making regional trade and mobility more seamless and efficient.

Additionally, a project in the Arctic region will receive support to enhance accessibility and climate-resilient infrastructure, maintaining secure supply chains in the face of environmental change.

Next Steps and Background

The CEF Committee has approved the provisional list of selected projects. The European Commission will formally adopt the final selection decision, and the Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA) will begin preparing grant agreements with project beneficiaries. These are expected to be finalized by October 2025.

The selected projects were chosen from 258 applications submitted before the 21 January 2025 deadline. With this round of grants, 95% of the CEF Transport budget for 2021–2027 (€25.8 billion) has now been allocated. Since its inception in 2014, the CEF has supported 1,861 transport projects with a total of €47.34 billion.

(with inputs from European Commission Press Office and CINEA )