Energy Council grants continuity to CEF transport budget in next MFF
The Community of European Railway and Infrastructure Companies (CER) welcomes the endorsement by the Council for Energy of the partial general approach on the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) for 2028–2034.
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At the same time, CER reiterates the need to endow this crucial transport funding envelope with sufficient firepower to meet rail’s most pressing investment needs, calling for no less than EUR 100 billion. Foreseeing support for the deployment of the European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS) and for high-speed rail projects is among the key priorities.
The preliminary position adopted today by EU Energy Ministers on the Connecting Europe Facility for 2028–2034 confirms CEF as a long-term EU investment instrument for transport networks. The Council’s text maintains the core mission of CEF: supporting the completion of the Trans-European Network for Transport (TEN-T), financing cross-border projects of common interest, ensuring interoperability, enabling decarbonised mobility, and reinforcing dual-use transport infrastructure to respond to civilian and military needs.
CER welcomes this crucial step in the continuation of CEF – but underlines the fact that when it comes to the size of the facility, Europe cannot afford to underfund its strategic transport infrastructure. This is why the CEF Transport budget should not be less than EUR 100 billion for the period 2028–2034. CER also reiterates its call to reallocate at least EUR 20 billion from the National and Regional Partnership Plans (NRPP) to CEF, where funding can be deployed more rapidly and with greater European added value.
CER further calls for more explicit acknowledgment of two essential pillars of the future European rail system: ERTMS deployment (for the harmonisation of train control and command systems across Europe) and the development of an interconnected European high-speed rail network. CER urges all institutions to ensure that CEF retains a clear mandate to support both ERTMS and high-speed rail as priorities of European interest.
CER Executive Director Alberto Mazzola stated: “It is good to see Council building on the positive groundwork laid by Commissioner Tzitzikostas and confirming the role of CEF as a cornerstone of Europe’s transport investment strategy. But ambition matters. Europe must ensure that this key funding instrument is adequately resourced to deliver the high-quality transport network envisioned in the TEN-T Regulation, including interoperable systems and high-speed connections. We look forward to working with the European Parliament and the Member States to further strengthen CEF and secure the level of investment needed for Europe’s rail future.”
In a separate comment, Alberto Mazzola also welcomed the Ministers’ debate on the Energy Grids package, where interesting parallels could be drawn between the need to revamp saturated energy networks and transport networks: “It is positive that Ministers exchanged on permitting and financing of energy projects: some of the provisions for energy grids could certainly inspire positive proposals for transport infrastructure as well.”
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