On 17 June 2016, the European Commission unveiled a list of 195 transport projects that will receive € 6.7 billion of funding under the “Connecting Europe Facility” (CEF) instrument.  This investment is expected to unlock additional public and private co-financing for a combined amount of € 9.6 billion. 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. As regards projects submitted under the Cohesion call, the maximum co-funding rates can go up to 85% of the eligible costs.

The Commission believes that, while contributing to the digitalisation and decarbonisation of transport, the projects may create up to 100,000 jobs in the European economy by 2030, making European infrastructure safer, more sustainable and more efficient for passengers and business alike.

Selected projects are primarily located on the “core trans-European transport network” (TEN-T), such as the rehabilitation of the Brasov Sighisoara rail section in Romania, the railway connection Aveiro Vilar Formoso in Portugal, and the development of standard gauge railway line in the Rail Baltic corridor.

The Connecting Europe Facility Coordination Committee and the Commission must now approve the proposed funding decision, by the end of July 2016.