Brussels, October 2025 — The European Commission has selected 94 transport projects to receive nearly €2.8 billion in EU grants under the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF), marking a major milestone in Europe’s transition toward a sustainable, smart, and interconnected transport network.
The funding will modernize railways, inland waterways, and maritime routes across the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T), improving regional connectivity from north to south and east to west. The initiative will enhance Europe’s internal market competitiveness, bolster geopolitical resilience, and accelerate the EU Green Deal objectives.
Europe’s Green Transition on Track
Rail transport receives the largest share of funding — 77% of the total — aimed at transformative infrastructure upgrades across the TEN-T core and extended networks, particularly in cohesion countries.
Key projects include the Rail Baltica construction across the Baltic States and Poland, as well as high-speed rail developments in Czechia and Poland. Upgrades will also take place in Greece and Slovakia, while 32 ERTMS implementation projects in 11 Member States — including Austria, Germany, Italy, and Poland — will enhance rail safety, interoperability, and cross-border efficiency.
Cleaner Ports and More Resilient Maritime Routes
The EU continues to invest in greener maritime transport, funding port electrification in Ireland, Cyprus, Malta, Croatia, and Poland, allowing ships to use shore-side electricity and significantly cut emissions while at berth.
Strategic investments also include the construction and upgrading of icebreakers in Estonia, Finland, and Sweden, strengthening maritime security and protecting undersea infrastructure. France and Spain will deploy digital traffic management systems to optimize short-sea shipping, reduce congestion, and improve safety.
For inland waterways, modernization efforts focus on France’s Rhine corridor and digitalization of waterborne transport in Belgium, ensuring more efficient freight movement.
Smarter Roads and Safer Airspace
In road transport, the CEF will fund safe and secure parking areas across 10 Member States, including Germany, France, Italy, and Romania, alongside deployment of Cooperative Intelligent Transport Systems (C-ITS) for safer, smarter mobility.
Air traffic management projects continue to support the Single European Sky initiative — reducing congestion, cutting emissions, and improving passenger experience across the continent’s aviation network.
Urban mobility investments include multimodal passenger hubs in Leuven (Belgium), Norrköping (Sweden), Nice and Marseille (France), and Bolzano (Italy), creating seamless intermodal transport systems for commuters.
Strategic Investments and Solidarity Corridors
To reinforce Europe’s geopolitical and humanitarian resilience, several projects will strengthen EU-Ukraine Solidarity Lanes — upgrading rail and border connections between Slovakia and Ukraine, and between Romania and Moldova.
The EU will also fund one project to enhance infrastructure resilience in the Arctic region, improving accessibility, ensuring secure supply chains, and supporting dual-use infrastructure capable of withstanding climate impacts.
Voices from the Commission
“With nearly €2.8 billion in EU funding, we are delivering on Europe’s promise of a modern, sustainable, and resilient transport network,” said Apostolos Tzitzikostas, Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism.
“From Rail Baltica in the north to shore-side electricity in southern ports, and from secure road networks to a smarter Single European Sky — this investment strengthens our Green Deal goals and Europe’s global competitiveness.”
Paloma Aba Garrote, Director of the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA), added:
“We are proud that with these new projects, our CEF Transport portfolio now exceeds 1,861 projects since 2014 — supporting a stronger, more connected, and greener Europe.”
Next Steps and Background
The CEF Committee has approved the project list, with the European Commission expected to formally adopt the decision in the coming weeks. Grant agreements will be finalized by October 2025.
These 94 projects were selected from 258 applications submitted under the January 2025 CEF Transport call. With this selection, 95% of the €25.8 billion CEF Transport 2021–2027 budget is now allocated.
Since its creation in 2014, the Connecting Europe Facility has supported over 1,861 projects in the transport sector, with total funding exceeding €47.34 billion — underscoring the EU’s long-term commitment to building a sustainable and competitive transport future.
