REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS Progress report on the implementation of the 2021-2027 Connecting Europe Facility for the years 2021-2024
Date: 2025-09-24
Institutions: Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport, European Commission
Subjects: EU financial instrument, EU programme, energy grid, investment, project of common interest, structural policy, sustainable development, trans-European network, transmission network, transport network

EN 

  EN 

   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Brussels, 24.9.2025  COM(2025) 516 final  REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS Progress report on the implementation of the 2021-2027 Connecting Europe Facility for the years 2021-2024                       
 
 
I. 

Introduction 

Article 22(4)  of  Regulation  (EU)  2021/1153  establishing  the  Connecting  Europe  Facility 
(CEF)  for  the  2021-2027  period1  requires  the  Commission  to  present  progress  reports  that 
include  information  on  the  implementation  of  the  CEF  and  clarify  whether  the  different 
sectors are on track. The CEF Regulation was adopted in July 2021, six months after the start 
of the 2021-2027 Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), and this first progress report will 
cover the years 2021-2024. 

The  Connecting  Europe  Facility  was  set  up  to  build,  develop,  modernise  and  complete  the 
trans-European  networks  in  the  transport,  energy  and  digital  sectors.  Seamless  cross-border 
connectivity is a necessary condition for the good functioning of the  EU’s single market. It 
fosters greater economic, social and territorial cohesion and contributes to the EU achieving 
the  long-term  decarbonisation  commitments  of  the  European  Green  Deal. The  current 
programme  is  the  successor  of  the  CEF  2014-2020  programme  (CEF1)  under  the  previous 
MFF.  The  financial  budget  for  implementing  the  CEF  2021-2027  programme  (CEF2)  is 
EUR 33.7 billion. 

The CEF is a centrally-managed instrument. It is implemented with the help of the European 
Climate,  Infrastructure  and  Environment  Executive Agency  (CINEA)  for  the  transport  and 
energy  sectors,  and  with  the  help  of  the  European  Health  and  Digital  Executive  Agency 
(HaDEA)  for  the  digital  sector.  It  is  based  on  competition  between  projects  submitted  by 
project promoters like infrastructure managers or private companies during the regular CEF 
calls  for  proposals. This  competition  ensures  high  quality  in  the  preparation  of  the  projects 
and pressure for their timely delivery. This governance model guarantees CEF funds serve the 
priorities  laid  down  in  the  Regulation. The  CEF  is  implemented  through  multiannual  work 
programmes  specifying  the timetable for calls for proposals,  their topics, indicative budget, 
and selection and award criteria. 

Transport: 

For the transport sector, the CEF supports infrastructure projects of common interest related 
to  the  completion  and  modernisation  of  the  trans-European  transport  network  (TEN-T)  to 
help  develop  an  efficient,  interconnected  and  multimodal  trans-European  transport  network 
and infrastructure for smart, interoperable, sustainable, inclusive, accessible, safe and secure 
mobility. The CEF also aims to adapt parts of the TEN-T for dual-use transport infrastructure 
in  order  to  improve  both  civilian  and  military  mobility.  The  budget  allocated  to  the  CEF 
Transport strand for 2021-2027  amounts  to  EUR 25.8 billion. A total  of EUR 11.3 billion  is 
earmarked  for  countries  eligible  to  receive  support  from  the  Cohesion  Fund  and 
EUR 1.7 billion for dual-use military mobility projects. 

The CEF Transport multiannual work programme, adopted in August 20212 and amended in 
July  20233,  covers  the  annual  calls  for  proposals  from  2021  to  2024.  Because  of  the  high 

1  Regulation  (EU)  2021/1153  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the  Council  of  7 July  2021  establishing  the 
Connecting  Europe  Facility  and  repealing  Regulations  (EU)  No 1316/2013  and  (EU)  No 283/2014  (Text  with 
EEA relevance) OJ L 249, 14.7.2021, p. 38-81.  
2 Commission Implementing Decision C(2021) 5763 final of 5 August 2021 on the financing of the Connecting 
Europe Facility – Transport sector and the adoption of the work programme for 2021-2027. 

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oversubscription of these calls, the maturity of projects and the rising inflation after Russia’s 
invasion  of  Ukraine,  the  amendment  of  the  multiannual  work  programme  allowed  to 
frontload all the available budget under the current MFF to the CEF Transport calls 2023 and 
2024. 

Energy: 

The  CEF  strand  dedicated  to  the  energy  sector  (CEF  Energy)  aims  to  develop  projects  of 
common  interest  and  projects  of  mutual  interest  under  the  trans-European  networks  for 
Energy  (TEN-E)  policy4  in  order  to  further  integrate  the  internal  energy  market,  increase 
interoperability  of  networks  across  borders  and  sectors,  facilitate  decarbonisation  of  the 
economy,  and  to  ensure  security  of  supply.  CEF  Energy  should  also  facilitate  cross-border 
energy  cooperation,  including  for  renewable  energy  projects.  CEF  Energy  has  a  budget  of 
EUR 5.8 billion for 2021-2027. 

The first multiannual work programme for CEF Energy was adopted in August 20215. It was 
amended  in  October  20226  in  the  wake  of  Russia’s  war  of  aggression  against  Ukraine  to 
provide 
the 
synchronisation  of  the  electricity  system  of  the  Baltic  States  with  the  continental  European 
network7. 

technical  assistance  for  additional  studies  necessary  for  accelerating 

The revised Regulation on trans-European energy infrastructure (TEN-E)8 entered into force 
in  2022.  It  lays  down  guidelines  for  the  trans-European  energy  network  policy  and  the 
selection  procedure  for  projects  of  common  interest  (PCIs)  within  the  EU  and  projects  of 
mutual interest (PMIs) with non-EU countries9. These infrastructure PCIs and PMIs are one 
of the two categories of projects that are eligible for CEF Energy funding (the other category 
being cross-border projects in the field of renewable energy). 

This  revision  aligned  the  TEN-E  Regulation  with  the  EU  climate  neutrality  objective  for 
2050, restricting the eligibility of gas infrastructure projects to those needed to end the energy 
isolation of Cyprus and Malta. It also introduced new project categories: offshore electricity 
grids,  hydrogen  projects  and  electrolysers.  In  light  of  the  revision,  a  new  PCI  and  PMI  list 

3 Commission Implementing Decision (2023) 4886 final of 25 August 2023 amending Implementing Decision 
C(2021) 5763 final on the financing of the Connecting Europe Facility  – Transport sector and the adoption of 
the work programme for 2021-2027.  
4  Defined  in  Regulation  (EU)  2022/869  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the  Council  of  30 May  2022  on 
guidelines for trans-European energy infrastructure, OJ L 152, 3.6.2022, p. 45-102. 
5 Commission Implementing Decision (2021) 5791 final of 6 August 2021 on the financing of the energy sector 
under the Connecting Europe Facility and the adoption of the multiannual work programme for the period 2021-
2027.  
6 Commission Implementing Decision (2022) 7393 final of 13 October 2022 amending Implementing Decision 
C(2021) 5791 final on the financing of the energy sector under the Connecting Europe Facility and the adoption 
of the multiannual work programme for the period 2021-2027.  
7 See: Funding for projects of common interest (europa.eu). 
8 Regulation (EU) 2022/869 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 May 2022 on guidelines for 
trans-European  energy  infrastructure,  amending  Regulations  (EC)  No 715/2009,  (EU)  2019/942  and  (EU) 
2019/943  and  Directives  2009/73/EC  and  (EU)  2019/944, and  repealing  Regulation  (EU)  No 347/2013,  OJ  L 
152, 3.6.2022, p. 45-102.  
9  PMIs  were  introduced  by  the  revision  of  the  TEN-E  Regulation  in  2022  and  first  eligible  to  apply for  CEF 
Energy in 2024. 

2 

 
 
 
was adopted in  November 2023, identifying the selected projects in the new categories and 
making them eligible to apply for the CEF as of 202410. 

A new multiannual work programme for 2024-2027 was adopted in February 202411. 

Digital: 

With  a  budget  of  around  EUR 1.6  billion,  the  objectives  of  the  CEF  Digital  sector  are  to 
contribute to the deployment of safe and secure very high-capacity digital networks and 5G 
systems,  to  increase  the  resilience  and  capacity  of  the  digital  backbone  networks  on  EU 
territories  by  linking  them  to  neighbouring  territories  and  to  foster  the  digitalisation  of 
transport  and  energy  networks.  CEF  Digital  (2021-2027)  has  different  objectives  and  a 
greater budget than its predecessor CEF Telecom (2014-2020). CEF Digital focuses on grants 
for  the  deployment  of  digital  connectivity  infrastructure  of  pan-European  relevance,  while 
CEF Telecom had allocated EUR 117 million to financial instruments supporting broadband 
infrastructure deployment, EUR 130 million to WiFi4EU, and the rest of the budget to digital 
services (around EUR 900 million). 

The  first  CEF  Digital  multiannual  work  programme,  covering  the  calls  for  2021-2023,  was 
adopted  in  December  202112  and  amended  in  April  202313  to  take  account  of  changes  in 
stakeholder  preparedness  and  demand  and  the  latest  developments  in  policy  priorities. The 
second  CEF  Digital  multiannual  work  programme  (2024-2027)  was  adopted  in  October 
202414. 

II.  Calls for proposals from 2021 to 2024 

Transport: 

CEF  Transport  is  mainly  allocated  through  yearly  calls  for  proposals.  So  far  three  yearly 
general  and  cohesion  calls  have  been  launched  and  concluded,  with  an  available  budget  of 
EUR 19 billion.  The  envelope  for  military  mobility  (EUR 1.7 billion)  was  allocated  in  its 
entirety  in  three  calls  between  2021  and  2023.  The  last  call  for  the  general  and  cohesion 

10  Commission  Delegated  Regulation  (EU)  2024/1041  of  28 November  2023  amending  Regulation  (EU) 
2022/869  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the  Council  as  regards  the  Union  list  of  projects  of  common 
interest and projects of mutual interest, OJ L, 2024/1041, 8.4.2024.  
11  Annex  to  Commission  Implementing  Decision  (2024)  482  final  of  1 February  2024  amending  the 
Commission Implementing Decision C(2022) 7393 on the financing of the energy sector under the Connecting 
Europe Facility and on the adoption of the multiannual work programme for the period 2021-2027.  
12 Annex to Commission Implementing Decision (2021) 9463 final of 16 December 2021 on the financing of the 
Connecting  Europe  Facility  –  Digital  sector  and  the  adoption  of  the  multiannual  work  programme  for  2021-
2025. Multiannual work programme for 2021-2023 - Connecting Europe Facility  - Digital | Shaping Europe’s 
digital future. 
13  Annex  to  Commission  Implementing  Decision  (2023)  2533  final  of  19 April 2023  amending  Implementing 
Decision C(2021) 9463 on the financing of the Connecting Europe Facility – Digital sector and the adoption of 
the  multiannual  work  programme  for  2021-2025.  Multiannual  work  programme  for  2021-2023  -  Connecting 
Europe Facility - Digital | Shaping Europe’s digital future. 
14  Annex  to  Commission  Implementing  Decision  (2024)  6891  of  9 October 2024  on  the  financing  of  the 
Connecting  Europe  Facility  –  Digital  sector  and  the  adoption  of  the  multiannual  work  programme  for  2024-
2027.  

3 

 
 
 
 
envelope (EUR 2.5 billion) closed in January 2025 and the evaluation is ongoing. It was the 
first call based on the revised TEN-T Regulation15 that entered into force in 2024. 

The  response  to  the  calls  has  shown  strong  interest  from  project  promoters,  with 
oversubscription rates going up to almost three times the available budget. The unprovoked 
Russian war of aggression against Ukraine also revealed the need to support the development 
of civilian-military transport infrastructure to tackle the consequences of the new geopolitical 
situation.  The  impact  of  the  increased  prices  for  energy  and  raw  materials,  and  the  lack  of 
labour force led to further funding needs. In this context the Commission, in agreement with 
the  CEF  Committee,  made  use  of  the  flexibility  provided  within  the  multiannual  work 
programme  for  the  2021  and  2022  calls  (awarding  additional  funds  of  up  to  20%  of  the 
amount indicated in the initial work programme). Moreover, the CEF 2021-2027 multiannual 
work  programme  was  amended  in  July  2023  to  further  frontload  all  the  available  budget 
under the current MFF to the CEF Transport calls for proposals for 2023 and 2024. 

Part  of  the  CEF  Transport  budget  is  allocated  to  the  Alternative  Fuels  Infrastructure 
Facility  (AFIF),  which  was  set  up  as  a  blending  instrument  combining  CEF  grants  with 
financial instruments provided by national promotional or commercial banks. With a budget 
of  EUR 2.3 billion,  the AFIF  is  dedicated  to  infrastructure  for  alternative  fuels  like  electric 
charging points, shore-side electricity for ships at berth, hydrogen refuelling stations etc. The 
AFIF 2021 rolling call for proposals (with five cut-off dates) closed at the end of 2023. 

The  second  AFIF  rolling  call  with  the  remaining  budget  of  EUR 1 billion  was  launched  in 
February  2024,  with  three  cut-off  dates  every  six  months  until  the  beginning  of  2026.  The 
first cut-off date was September 2024. For this cut-off, EUR 421 million were awarded to 39 
selected proposals. 

Table 1: CEF Transport calls for proposals 2021-2023 

Proposals 

Budget 

Envelope 

Eligible  Successful 

Indicative 

Requested 

Allocated 

General 

Cohesion 

AFIF 
Military 
mobility 
Grand total 

909 

214 

191 

186 

1 454 

299 

109 

167 

95 

631 

8.5 billion 

8.8 billion 

1.9 billion 

30.7 billion 

9.5 billion 

19.6 billion 

9 billion 

2 billion 

1.7 billion 

1.7 billion 

5 billion 

1.7 billion 

20.3 billion 

56.8 billion 

21.5 billion 

(*) Oversubscription rate: requested funding divided by the call’s indicative budget. 

Oversubscription 
rate* 

3.6 

2.2 

1 

2.9 

2.8 

Energy: 

The  CEF  Energy  budget  is  allocated  through  different  calls:  (i)  the  call  for  energy 
infrastructure projects (originally only for PCIs, but PMIs have been eligible since 2024), and 
(ii) the calls for cross-border cooperation in renewable energy (CB RES), which include a call 
for preparatory studies and a call for technical studies and works. 

15  Regulation  (EU)  2024/1679  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the  Council  of  13 June  2024  on  Union 
guidelines for the development of the trans-European transport network, amending Regulations (EU) 2021/1153 
and (EU) No 913/2010 and repealing Regulation (EU) No 1315/2013, OJ L, 2024/1679, 28.6.2024. 

4 

 
 
 
 
 
The CEF PCI call has taken place yearly, with an indicative budget of EUR 785 million for 
2021, EUR 800 million for 2022, EUR 750 million for 2023 and EUR 850 million for 2024. 
The CEF PCI calls have registered high subscription rates and resulted in grants worth 95% 
of the calls’ indicative budgets awarded to suitable funding proposals. 

Table 2: CEF Energy PCI calls 2021-2024 

Proposals 

Budget 

Eligible  Successful 

Indicative 

Requested 

Allocated 

Oversubscription 
rate* 

Year 

2021 

2022 

2023 

2024 

11 

19 

11 

70 

5 

8 

8 

41 

21 

785 million 

800 million 

750 million 

850 million 

1.3 billion 

1.3 billion 

1.3 billion 

3.1 billion 

1 billion 

601 million 

566 million 

1.25 billion 

3.2 billion 

7 billion 

3.5 billion 

1.66 

1.68 

1.67 

3.67 

2.20 

Grand total 

111 

(*) Oversubscription rate: requested funding divided by the call’s indicative budget. 

The  2021  call  allocated  a  higher  amount  than  initially  envisioned  in  the  call’s  indicative 
budget. While the subsequent calls for proposals in 2022 and 2023 were oversubscribed, the 
Commission allocated slightly lower amounts than the initial call budgets. This is due to the 
strict selection of projects taking into account the maturity and hence the likelihood of their 
realisation,  the  relevance  of  proposals  submitted  with  regard  to  the  award  criteria,  and  the 
justification of funding needs (existence of a financing gap that could not be closed without 
CEF funding). 

The  2024  call,  with  an  indicative  budget  of  EUR 850 million,  opened  in  April  2024  and 
closed  in  October  2024,  resulting  in  the  allocation  of  EUR 1 250 million  to  41  of  the  70 
eligible proposals. 

Cross-border renewable energy calls (CB RES) 

Five CB RES calls have been organised since 2021: three calls for preparatory studies (2021, 
2022,  2023)  and  two  calls  for  technical  studies  and  works  (2022,  2023).  For  preparatory 
studies,  the  first  call  had  a  rather  low  subscription  rate,  related  to  the  novelty  of  the 
programme window. The funding ratio significantly improved in the next two years, although 
it  is  still  modest,  reflecting  the  process  of  building  up  a  pipeline  of  projects  that  fit  the 
criteria. 

Table 3: CEF Energy CB RES calls 2021-2023 

Proposals 

Budget 

Year 

2021 

2022 

2023 

Grand total 

Eligible  Successful 

Indicative 

Requested 

Allocated 

3 

5 

10 

18 

2 

3 

9 

14 

1 million 

31 million 

51 million 

473 944 

44 million 

74 million 

298 944 

22 million 

68 million 

83 million 

118 million 

91 million 

(*) Oversubscription rate: requested funding divided by the call’s indicative budget. 

Oversubscription 
rate* 

0.5 

1.42 

1.45 

1.43 

A  third  CB  RES  call  for  technical  studies  and  works,  with  an  indicative  budget  of 
EUR 80 million, opened in October 2024 and closed in January 2025. The CB RES calls for 
preparatory studies were discontinued in 2024. 

5 

 
 
 
 
 
 
Digital: 

The  first  three  calls  (2021,  2022,  2023)  covered  the  topics  of  backbone  connectivity  for 
Digital  Global  Gateways,  5G  and  Edge  Cloud  for  Smart  Communities,  5G  coverage  along 
transport corridors  and backbone networks for pan-European cloud  federations. Those calls 
revealed  high  demand  for  certain  topics  (submarine  cables),  and  lower  demand  for  others 
(such  as  5G  corridors,  due  to  current  lack  of  market  readiness).  This  led  to  dynamic 
adaptation  of  the  work  programme  and  of  resource  allocation  by  focusing  resources  on 
resilient,  high-capacity  and  sovereign  connectivity  within  the  EU  and  internationally.  This 
was valuable input for the second CEF Digital work programme (2024-2027). 

Table 4: CEF Digital calls 2021-2023 

Proposals 

Budget 

Year 

2021 

2022 

2023 

Eligible  Successful 

Indicative 

Requested 

Allocated 

51 

63 

70 

38 

38 

52 

258 million 

555 million 

151 million 

277 million 

923 million 

260 million 

241 million  

578 million  

273 million 

Grand total 

184 

128 

776 million 

2.056 billion 

684 million 

(*) Oversubscription rate: requested funding divided by the call’s indicative budget. 

Oversubscription 
rate* 

2.15 

3.33 

2.39 

2.64 

III.  Main areas for investments 

Transport: 

Under  Article 3(2)(a)(i)  of  the  CEF  Regulation,  CEF  Transport  must  contribute  to  the 
development of an efficient, interconnected and multimodal trans-European transport network 
and  of  infrastructure  for  smart,  interoperable,  sustainable,  inclusive,  accessible,  safe  and 
secure mobility. 

Article 4(1) of this Regulation states that the CEF must contribute 60% of its financial budget 
to  climate  objectives.  CEF  Transport  has  exceeded  this  target  since  79%  of  its  funding  is 
dedicated  to  sustainable  transport.  It  has  invested  in  electrified  railway  infrastructure 
including  associated  signalling  subsystems  (ERTMS),  in  inland  waterways  and  multimodal 
transport, and in the deployment of infrastructure for zero-emission vehicles. The CEF is also 
(reforestation,  specific 
funding  compensatory  measures 
infrastructure allowing natural habitat continuity or corridors for the safe crossing of animals). 
Furthermore,  the  2023  call  for  proposals  introduced  an  element  of  ‘climate  proofing’  that 
integrates  climate  change  mitigation  and  adaptation  measures  in  the  development  of 
infrastructure projects. 

infrastructure  projects 

for 

Investments per transport mode 

The  CEF  programme  has  financed  European  transport  infrastructure  with  more  than 
EUR 21 billion between 2021 and 2024. The bulk of this investment is in rail projects, which 
received more than EUR 15 billion. Investments in this category range from the construction 
and upgrade of railway tracks to the deployment of the European railway traffic management 
system (ERTMS). 

6 

 
 
 
 
 
Additionally, CEF Transport supports improvements in waterborne transport, with more than 
EUR 2 billion allocated to maritime and inland ports, inland waterways, digitalisation (vessel 
traffic monitoring and information  systems  - VTMIS  and  river information services  - RIS), 
and  terminal  upgrades.  CEF  Transport  also  funds  road  projects,  such  as  constructing  and 
upgrading TEN-T roads, and the development of safe and secure parking areas and intelligent 
transport  systems  (ITS).  Under  air  transport,  CEF  finances  air  traffic  management  (single 
European sky air traffic management research - SESAR) and airport upgrades (under military 
mobility).  Furthermore,  CEF  Transport  supports  infrastructure  improvements  across  all 
modes  to  facilitate  the  mobility  of  military  assets.  Finally,  EUR 1.38 billion  is  allocated  to 
alternative fuel infrastructure, the largest share going to road vehicle charging, followed by 
vessels and stationary aircrafts. 

Table 5: CEF Transport investments per mode (2021-2024, EUR million)16 

15.337 

2.203 

1.726 

478 

1.385 

AF Road (1,103) 

AF Air (96) 

AF Waterborne (185) 

Rail 
(including 
ERTMS, Military 
Mobility) 

Waterborne  
(including RIS, 
VTMIS and 
Military 
Mobility) 

Road  
(including 
ITS, Military 
Mobility) 

Air  
(including ATM, 
Military Mobility) 

Alternative 
fuels (AF) 

Most  of  the  CEF  funding  (80%)  is  allocated  to  projects  on  the TEN-T  Core  network,  13% 
goes  to  the  comprehensive  network  and  7%  goes  to  projects  that  cannot  be  linked  to  a 
specific  part  of  the TEN-T  network  but  are  still  important  for  its  completion  (e.g.  SESAR, 
ITS, ERTMS on-board components etc.). 

Cross-border connectivity 

CEF Transport supports cross-border connectivity for seamless travel in the EU, with 78% of 
CEF Transport funding going to projects addressing cross-border or missing links, ensuring 
multimodality,  installing  alternative  fuel  infrastructure  and  harmonising  traffic  management 
systems.  This  also  included  funding  for  five  flagship  cross-border  projects  (Lyon-Turin 
Tunnel, Brenner Base Tunnel, Fehmarn Belt Tunnel, Rail Baltica, Seine-Escaut/Scheldt) and 
their access routes. 

16 Excluding grant agreements under preparation. 

7 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Figure 1: CEF Transport support for cross-border connectivity 

             Border crossing points 
EUR 331 million 

          Cross border links 

EUR 11.1 billion 

                            Multimodality: Ports, Airports  
    and Rail-Road Terminals 
   EUR 1.09 billion 

              European Traffic Management  

Systems 
EUR 1.35 billion 

78%

         Alternative Fuels 
EUR 1.38 billion 

              Missing links  

EUR 1.35 billion 

EUR 16.6 billion 

out of the total CEF Transport budget of EUR 21.2 billion 

Most cross-border projects improve or establish rail connections, but  the CEF also supports 
inland waterway connections and a few road sections. For example, a major bottleneck on the 
Danube  in  the  Rhine/Meuse-Main-Danube  corridor  between  Straubing  and  Vilshofen  in 
southern Germany received CEF support for increasing the fairway depth and capacity. 

Infrastructure for alternative fuels 

CEF  Transport  supports  the  deployment  of  alternative  fuel  infrastructure  with  more  than 
EUR 1.38 billion, mainly going to projects deploying charging stations on TEN-T roads and 
electric charging points. It also finances the installation of shore-side electricity for ships at 
berth, the electrification of airport ground operations, and hydrogen refuelling stations. 

Since  2021,  around  1 500  supply  points  for  alternative  fuels  have  been  put  into  operation 
along  the trans-European  transport  network,  mainly  for  light-duty  vehicles.  We  expect  that 
the projects selected so far will install more than 25 000 supply points for light-duty vehicles 
and  almost  2 000  supply  points  for  heavy-duty  vehicles.  The  portfolio  of  alternative  fuel 
projects will also contribute to the decarbonisation of operations in 63 European airports and 
to the deployment of onshore power charging for vessels in 28 European ports. 

8 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Map 1: Alternative fuels recharging infrastructure supported by CEF Transport (2021-2024) 

Canary Islands (ES) 

Alternative fuel supply for stationary aircrafts 

EU countries (incl. overseas territories) 

Alternative fuel supply for road users, Electricity 

non-EU countries 

Alternative fuel supply for road users, Hydrogen 

Alternative fuel supply for maritime/inland waterway users 

TEN-T Roads 

Cartography: CINEA, June 2025 
© EuroGeographics for the administrative boundaries 

9 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
Digitalisation of transport 

CEF  Transport  supports  the  digitalisation  of  European  transport  with  specific  calls  for 
proposals  focusing  on  smart  and  interoperable  mobility,  under  the  general  and  cohesion 
envelope. Following these calls, 93 projects received more than EUR 1.4 billion of funding. 
Almost half of this amount went to ERTMS projects (46%), followed by SESAR (23%) and 
ITS (17%) projects. Projects involving the remaining systems (e.g. electronic freight transport 
information (eFTI), RIS, the European maritime single window environment (EMSWe), and 
VTMIS accounted for 13%. 

Safer transport 

CEF Transport supports road safety through the construction of safe and secure parking areas, 
the removal of level crossings, the improvement of road alignments for safety reasons and the 
deployment of ITS. A total of 58 projects on road safety receive EUR 3 billion. 

Military mobility 

One of the specific objectives of CEF Transport is to adapt parts of the TEN-T network for 
dual-use,  improving  both  civilian  and  military  mobility.  This  should  allow  for  large-scale 
movements of military personnel and equipment across the EU at short notice in the event of 
crises.  Under  the  three  calls  for  military  mobility  (2021/2022/2023)  a  total  of  95  projects 
were  selected  in  21  Member  States. They  are  fairly  balanced  geographically  across  the  EU 
with  a  good  density  of  projects  on  the  Eastern  flank.  45%  of  this  funding  went  to  railway 
projects  (e.g.  to  upgrade  rail  bridges,  construct  low-speed  track  sections  for  longer  and 
heavier trains, increase the minimum height of tunnels), 34% to road projects (e.g. to upgrade 
road  stretches  and  bridges),  7%  to  airport  projects  (e.g.  to  increase  operational  capabilities 
and accessibility), and the remaining funding went to projects in ports and terminals (e.g. to 
increase capacity and connectivity). 

The CEF allows for financing of synergetic elements pertaining to another CEF sector (up to 
20%  of  eligible  costs).  For  CEF  Transport  synergetic  elements,  mostly  concerning  energy-
related infrastructure, are financed in 34 projects receiving EUR 64 million in CEF funding. 
For example, 20 projects plan to install hydrogen refuelling stations and electrolysers, while 
8 projects plan to install solar panels in airports, ports and rail-road terminals.  

CEF  Transport  also  works  in  complementarity  with  Horizon  Europe,  for  example  for 
greening  airports.  While  CEF  supports  infrastructure  for  alternative  fuels  and  access  by 
public  transport,  Horizon  Europe  funds  innovative  energy  efficient  or  new  digital  and 
automated solutions for airport operations17. 

Energy: 

Since  2021,  the  PCI  calls  have  received  proposals  from  five  different  types  of  project 
categories (electricity, gas, CO2 transport infrastructure, smart electricity grids, hydrogen and 
electrolysers). 

17 Ensuring competitive and sustainable airports 

10 

 
 
 
In  the  2021  call,  electricity  was  the  most  significant  project  category,  with  three  grants  for 
works accounting for 92% of the EU funding allocated. In the 2022 call, electricity was again 
the  most  significant  category  accounting  for  52%  of  EU  funding  allocated  (64%  when 
counted  in  combination  with  electricity  smart  grids).  In  the  2023  call,  CO2  transport 
infrastructure  was  the  biggest  category  accounting for  80% of the  EU funding  allocated.  In 
the  2024  call,  electricity  (including  offshore  grids,  storage)  was  again  the  most  significant 
category accounting for 57% of the EU funding allocated (59% when counted in combination 
with electricity smart grids). 

Between  2021  and  2024,  the  PCI  calls  have  supported  62  projects  with  EUR 3.5 billion  in 
CEF  Energy  funding:  43  were  studies,  with  funding  amounting  to  nearly  EUR 431 million 
and the remaining 19 were works, with funding amounting to more than EUR 3 billion. The 
CB  RES  calls  have  also  supported  14  projects  (12  studies  and  2  works)  with 
EUR 91.2 million in funding. 

Figure 2: CEF Energy portfolio per category (2021-2024) 

Electricity 
transmission 

Gas 

Hydrogen &  

Electrolysers 

Smart 
Grids 

CO2 
network 

CB RES 

7 Actions 
€67 million 

1 Action 

€19.6 million 

21 Actions 
€258 million 

1 Action 
€2.8 million 

13 Actions 
€83.3 million 

12 Actions 
€50.2 million 

5 Actions 
€1.9 billion 

3 Actions 
€128.6 million 

3 Actions 
€206 million 

8 Actions 
€781.1 million 

2 Actions 
€40.9 million 

12 Actions 
€2 billion 

4 Actions 
€148 million 

21 Actions 
€258 million 

4 Actions 
€209 million 

21 Actions 
€865 million 

14 Actions 
€91 million 

Studies 
55 Actions 
€481 million 

Works 
21 Actions 
€3 billion 

EU funding 
76 Actions 
€3.5 billion 

Electricity and smart electricity grids 

The CEF supported 16 electricity projects, amounting to over EUR 2 billion. Notable projects 
that  received  grants  for  works  include:  the  EuroAsia  interconnector  between  Greece  and 
Cyprus  (EUR 658 million,  2021),  additional  infrastructure  elements  necessary  for  the 
synchronisation of the Baltic States with the continental electricity system (EUR 166 million, 
2021), the ELMED interconnector between Sicily and Tunisia (EUR 308 million, 2022), and 
the Bornholm Energy Island (EUR 645 million, 2024). 

The CEF also supported four electricity smart grids actions in four different PCIs, amounting 
to  EUR 209 million.  The  largest  grant  for  works  was  of  EUR 100 million  for  the 
digitalisation of the energy distribution networks in Bavaria and Czechia. 

Carbon dioxide network 

The CEF supported 21 CO2 transport infrastructure projects amounting to EUR 864 million. 
The largest grant for works was of EUR 161 million for phase I of the Dunkirk CO2 Hub. 

CEF funding of critical cross-border infrastructure for CO2 networks and storage works very 
much in complementarity with Horizon Europe that supports research projects to explore the 

11 

 
 
 
 
  
feasibility  of  new  technologies  for  industrial  carbon  management  and  to  demonstrate  the 
viability of technologies from technological and economic points of view18.  

Natural gas 

The  CEF  supported  four  gas  projects  amounting  to  EUR 148 million.  The  largest  grant  for 
works was of EUR 78 million for gas storage in Bulgaria. Overall, while natural gas projects 
made  up  a  significant  share  of  the  funding  awarded  under  the  CEF I  programme 
(EUR 1 454 million), their share decreased under CEF II, mainly because they are no longer 
eligible for CEF Energy funding following the revision of the TEN-E Regulation. 

Hydrogen 

The CEF supported 21 hydrogen projects – all for studies – amounting to EUR 258 million. 
The  largest  grant  amounting  to  EUR 33 million  was  for  the  Spanish  Hydrogen  Backbone 
project. 

Cross-border renewables 

CEF Energy financially supports five cross-border renewable energy projects, which involve 
eight  different  Member  States,  and  four  other  projects  that  do  not  have  the  CB  RES  status 
with  preparatory  studies.  By  2024,  EUR 91 million  in  funding  was  granted  to  14  projects, 
including 12 technical and preparatory studies and two works. The projects cover a variety of 
renewable  energy  technologies,  such  as  offshore  and  onshore  wind  energy  or  solar 
photovoltaics,  and  energy  applications,  such  as  district  heating  or  renewable  hydrogen 
production. 

For CEF Energy, synergetic elements mostly concern transport infrastructure, such as quays 
and ship loading installations. With the increasing maturity of energy infrastructure categories 
covered by the new TEN-E Regulation, notably smart electricity and hydrogen grids, further 
synergies with the transport and digital strands are expected. In the cross-border renewables 
sector, emerging projects focus on entire hydrogen value chains from generation to utilisation 
in sectors like industry and transport. 

Digital: 

By  addressing  projects  of  common  interest  and  focusing  on  cross-border  interconnections, 
CEF Digital acts as a catalyst for the EU-wide digital connectivity ecosystem. Following the 
first  three  calls,  CEF  Digital  currently  funds  117  projects  covering  the  main  topics  set  out 
below, for a total budget of over EUR 640 million. 

Backbone connectivity for Digital Global Gateways 

CEF  Digital  supports  the  deployment  of  new  backbone  networks  or  significant  upgrade  of 
existing  networks,  including  submarine  cables  within  and  between  Member  States  and 
between  the  EU  and  non-EU  countries.  Since  2021,  the  CEF  Digital  strand  has  been 
providing  financial  support  to  51  Digital  Global  Gateways  projects  for  a  total  of 
EUR 420 million. 

18 Industrial Carbon Management: Interactive Stories. Industrial carbon management funded by the European 
Union 

12 

 
 
 
These projects significantly contribute to boosting global connections between  Europe and 
Africa  (e.g.  the  Medusa  Africa  or  Canalink-Morocco  projects),  the  Middle  East  (e.g.  the 
BlueMed East project) and Asia (Arctic connectivity), and to consolidating the connections 
between  Member  States  in  the  Mediterranean,  the Atlantic,  the  Baltic  Sea  and  Continental 
Europe (including Central  and Eastern  Europe). These  projects  also support connectivity in 
Europe’s  outermost  regions  and  overseas  countries  and  territories,  like  in  the  Pacific 
Ocean (e.g. the NUANUA project), the Caribbean (e.g. the BCA project), the Canary Islands 
(e.g. the PENCAN-X project) and the Azores-Madeira area (e.g. the Atlantic CAM project). 

All beneficiaries of these CEF grants are EU-controlled entities and the cables that will be 
deployed  are  built  with  secure  technology.  Besides  guaranteeing  the  secure  transmission  of 
terabytes of data per second, almost all the funded cables include smart technologies, which 
act as large geographical sensors to monitor nearby activities, acting as early warning systems 
to protect the infrastructure itself. 

The  second  CEF  Digital  work  programme  for  2024-2027  provides  an  additional 
EUR 542 million  to  co-fund  backbone  connectivity  projects.  The  EU’s  total  investment  in 
these  critical  infrastructures  over  the  current  financial  framework  will  amount  to  almost 
EUR 1 billion. 

Map 2: CEF Digital Global Gateway projects 

Work 
Not subsidised 
Study 

EU countries 
Associated countries 

Greenland 

Caribbean 

West Africa 

Canary Islands 

South Pacific 

5G systems in areas where socio-economic drivers are located 

Since 2021, CEF Digital has been providing financial support of a total of EUR 128 million 
to  41  projects  for  the  rapid  deployment  and  take  up  of  5G  for  Smart  Communities.  The 
funded  projects  integrate  5G  infrastructure  with  edge  cloud  computing,  focusing  on 
standalone  5G,  enabling  innovative  use  cases  such  as  remote  surgery,  virtual  reality  for 
learning, drone-based monitoring and more. 

13 

 
 
 
 
 
Map 3: Projects 5G for Smart Communities 

EU countries 
Associated countries 

5G coverage along major transport corridors 

Since  2021,  CEF  Digital  has  been  providing  financial  support  to  25  projects  (works  and 
studies)  for  uninterrupted  5G  coverage  along  cross-border  transport  corridors  for  a  total  of 
EUR 93 million.  Twelve  of  those  projects  deploy  standalone  5G  infrastructure  along  cross-
border corridors of the TEN-T, such as highways, railways, or maritime paths, thus ensuring 
seamless  interoperability  of  national  5G  systems.  5G  corridor  infrastructure  will  enable  a 
broad range of connected and automated mobility services for vehicles, drivers, passengers, 
and other relevant players. 

Map 4: Projects for 5G coverage along major transport routes 

Work 

Study 

EU countries 

Associated countries 

Maritime connection 

14 

 
 
 
 
5G  corridor  projects  along  the  main  TEN-T  corridors  are  a  good  example  for  synergies 
between the different CEF strands. The CEF Digital strand also supports the deployment of 
cross-border  digital  infrastructure  (i)  to  accelerate  the  digitalisation  of  the  energy  and 
transport  sectors  by  enhancing  interoperability  and  standardisation  (operational  digital 
platforms  -  ODPs)  and  (ii)  to  trigger  a  public-private  partnership  ‘virtuous’  circle  of 
investment. The 2022 ODP call funded a coordination and support  project  that is  preparing 
the ground for a works  project in the second CEF Digital multiannual work programme  for 
2024-2027.  

IV.  The CEF reaction to recent crisis 

During  the  last  years,  the  CEF  instrument  has  proven  its  flexibility  to  react  to  unforeseen 
challenges  and  crisis.  With  Russia’s  unprovoked  war  of  aggression,  Ukraine  and  Moldova 
requested  formal  association  with  the  CEF  programme  (agreements  signed  on  9 May  and 
6 June 2023). This  allows  beneficiaries from those countries  to  participate  independently  in 
CEF calls and to be observers in the CEF Committee meetings. The EU has suspended their 
national  financial  contributions  for  EU  programmes  for  as  long  as  the  financial  challenges 
caused by the war remain for both countries. 

Transport: 

After  Russia’s  invasion  of  Ukraine  started  in  February  2022,  the  allocation  of  the  military 
mobility  envelope  has  been  fast-tracked  as  much  as  possible. The  Commission  accelerated 
the  evaluation  of  the  first  military  mobility  call  for  proposals  in  2021  (which  was  open  for 
applications until January 2022), then immediately launched the second military mobility call 
in May 2022 (four months earlier than planned). The remaining budget was frontloaded, with 
the last call for proposals launched in May 2023. Consequently, the EUR 1.7 billion military 
mobility  envelope  was  absorbed  in  only  two  and  a  half  years.  Over  the  course  of  the  three 
calls for proposals, the oversubscription rate rose continuously from 1.2 for the 2021 call to 
4.7  in  the  last  2023  call,  which  also  indicates  rising  investment  needs  for  dual-use 
infrastructure. 

Figure 3: Trend in demand for CEF military mobility funding (EUR million) 

Available budget  

Feb 2022

4000

Requested funding 

3500

CEF funding 

3000

2500

Oversubscription 

Russia’s war of 
aggression starts

3.704 
4,6

2000

1500

1000

500

0

2,3
1.389 

1,3
417

327

328 

612

612 

807

772 

Sep 2021-Jan 2022 

May 2022-Sep 2022 

May 2023-Sep 2023 

1st MILMOB call 

2nd MILMOB call 

3rd MILMOB call 

5,0

4,5

4,0

3,5

3,0

2,5

2,0

1,5

1,0

0,5

0,0

15 

 
 
 
 
 
CEF Transport also proved its agile nature by accommodating critical needs that emerged at 
the EU external borders with Ukraine and Moldova. CEF Transport funding is supporting the 
‘Solidarity  Lanes’  initiative  and  contributing  to  establishing  alternative  routes  for 
transporting  goods  to  and  from  both  Ukraine  and  Moldova  after  the  blockade  of  Ukrainian 
ports. In total (following the 2022 and 2023 calls for proposals), CEF Transport has provided 
around  EUR 1.5 billion  of  funding  to  projects  improving  the  solidarity  lanes  and  ensuring 
that Ukraine and Moldova  are better connected  with  their neighbouring  EU Member States 
(Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania). These projects should enhance capacity and access to 
key  road  and  rail TEN-T  border  crossing  points  by  extending  and  upgrading  infrastructure, 
improving  parking  areas,  transhipment  facilities  and  equipment.  Support  to  Ukraine  also 
includes  projects  for  the  development  of  the  European  standard  (UIC)  gauge  in  Ukraine  to 
improve its rail connections with neighbouring Member States. The first results can already 
be seen on the ground. 

The COVID-19  pandemic and Russia’s  war of aggression against Ukraine have led to  high 
inflation,  increased  costs  of  construction  materials,  a  depleted  workforce  and  disrupted 
supply  chains. This  meant  that  CEF  projects  needed  a  rapid  injection  of  funds  to  carry  out 
planned actions. The multiannual work programme was therefore amended making it possible 
to  frontload  all  the  budget  available  under  the  current  MFF  to  the  2023  and  2024  CEF 
Transport calls. 

Energy: 

The  COVID-19  pandemic  and  the  Russian  invasion  of  Ukraine  have  also  impacted  the 
implementation  of  CEF-funded  energy  projects,  due  to  the  sharp  increase  in  energy  prices, 
significant  cost  increases,  and  supply  shortages  in  components  for  infrastructure  projects. 
This  has  resulted  in  delays  for  some  projects,  notably  related  to  the  need  to  implement 
alternative technical solutions and provide additional funding. 

In May 2022, in reaction to the Russian invasion, the Commission adopted its REPowerEU 
plan19, leading to the adoption of several pieces of legislation intended to reduce dependency 
on  Russian  fossil  fuels,  diversify  gas  supply  sources,  reduce  energy  consumption,  and 
accelerate the roll-out of renewable energy sources. 

While the current CEF Regulation and the revised TEN-E Regulation came into force before 
the  REPowerEU  plan,  they  are  aligned  with  its  objectives.  Since  2013,  projects  funded  by 
CEF  Energy  have  contributed  to  integrating  the  EU  energy  market  by  strengthening  cross-
border  connections  and  increasing  the  security  of  supply.  In  2021,  2022  and  2023,  grants 
were  allocated  for  works  in  the  area  of  gas  storage  that  will  address  concerns  about  the 
security  of  gas  supply  in  southeast  Europe,  which  is  the  region  most  directly  impacted  by 
Russian supply cuts. 

The revised TEN-E Regulation excludes fossil fuel infrastructure categories from eligibility 
for  PCI  status  and  includes  new  infrastructure  categories  that  are  key  for  decarbonisation, 
notably hydrogen projects and offshore electricity grids. The cross-border projects in the field 
of  renewable  energy  contribute  to  the  cost-effective  deployment  of  additional  renewable 
energy capacities which help reduce EU’s fossil fuel dependence. 

19 Communication of the Commission (2022) 230 final of 18.5.2022 on the REPowerEU Plan. 

16 

 
 
 
Digital: 

As set out in the scope of the projects of common interest in the digital sector, the CEF can 
help extend and strengthen digital connectivity between the EU and its neighbours. The East 
West Gate project (funded under the second call for proposals) will enable the provision of 
digital  services  to  Ukraine  and  directly  increase  communication  possibilities  and  capacity 
both with Ukraine and between EU countries. 

In the context of the Russian war of aggression to Ukraine and the conflicts and instability in 
the Middle East, it has become imperative to increase the resilience and the redundancy of the 
digital infrastructure connecting Europe to Asia. The CEF has already funded three cable 
deployment  projects  in  the  Arctic  region,  namely  Far  North  Fiber,  Polar  Connect  and 
TUSASS  CONNECT.  These  projects  are  part  of  the  Artic  connectivity  vision,  which  will 
eventually lead to an alternative route between Europe and Asia. 

Several  projects  funded  under  the  CEF  Digital  strand  enhance  digital  connectivity  across 
Europe  and  with  neighbouring  regions,  including  North  Africa  and  Eastern  European 
countries  (Ukraine  and  Moldova),  reflecting  a  broader  geopolitical  strategy  to  strengthen 
Europe’s  digital  resilience,  foster  economic  integration  and  promote  regional  stability.  By 
extending  high-capacity  networks  and  aligning  digital  standards,  the  programme  acts  as  a 
countermeasure 
influences,  establishing  control  over  critical  digital 
infrastructures. 

to  external 

CEF  Digital  also  plays  an  important  role  in  creating  digital  connectivity  alternatives, 
reinforcing  the  resilience  of  communication  networks  and  exploring  routes  able  to  bypass 
traditional overused chokepoints like the Suez Canal. 

Last  but  not  least,  the  strict  eligibility  requirements  in  CEF  Digital,  concerning  the  project 
promoters  and  the  equipment  deployed,  contributes  to  the  security  and  reliability  of  the 
critical digital communications infrastructure funded. 

V.  Budgetary state of play and assessment of progress 

The midterm review of the current MFF concluded in 2024 did not result in any changes to 
the  CEF  budget  of  all  three  sectors.  However,  the  different  sectoral  programmes  still  saw 
some  changes  to  their  budgets  compared  to  the  reference  amounts  in  the  legal  base,  as 
described below. 

To  make  the  CEF  funds  allocated  and  projects  supported  more  visible  and  transparent, 
CINEA launched a public dashboard in January 202320. This dashboard covers all the projects 
and  programmes  that  CINEA  manages,  including  those  it  manages  for  CEF  Transport  and 
CEF  Energy.  This  tool  allows  everyone  to  find  up-to-date  information  about  the  projects, 
their funding and  beneficiaries, and  graphs to  visualise the data. CINEA has  also  published 
two interactive publications showcasing  the  programme’s  achievements  since 2014, one for 

20 CINEA Project Portfolio - Welcome | Sheet - Qlik Sense (europa.eu). 

17 

 
 
 
 
CEF Transport21 and one for CEF Energy22, as well as a dedicated publication on the Baltic 
Synchronisation23. 

For information on CEF Digital’s budget allocation and projects, see the HaDEA website24. 

More  information  on  the  budgetary  implementation  of  the  CEF  can  also  be  found  on  the 
Commission’s  performance  portal25.  This 
the  programme 
performance statements submitted every year by each programme. 

is  based  on 

information 

Transport: 

EUR 250 million of the CEF Transport budget has been used to finance the European Chips 
Act. CEF Transport budget is also supporting additional administrative expenditure resulting 
from  the  ‘Fit  for  55’  package,  in  particular  the  FuelEU  Maritime  and  ReFuelEU  Aviation 
initiatives and more recently resulting from the revised Regulation on the European Maritime 
Safety Agency and from the Single European Sky 2+ Regulation. 

As described before, the CEF Transport budget  was  frontloaded  in  2021-2024. So far more 
than EUR 21 billion has been allocated, following the signature of projects selected under the 
2021/2022/2023 calls (EUR 10.5 billion from the general envelope, EUR 9.3 billion from the 
cohesion  envelope)  and  under  the  military  mobility  calls  (all  EUR 1.7 billion  from  the 
military  mobility  envelope).  That  amount  also  includes  EUR 1.3 billion  allocated  to 
infrastructure projects for alternative fuels under the first rolling call for AFIF. 

The remaining CEF budget will be allocated under the 2024 call for proposals and the second 
AFIF rolling call, with a budget of EUR 2.5 billion and EUR 1 billion respectively. The 2024 
call was closed at the end of January 2025 and is currently under evaluation, while the second 
AFIF rolling call was launched in February 2024 and will run until the beginning of 2026. 

The first grant agreements of this MFF were signed in 2022 after the first CEF Transport call 
launched  in  2021.  Since  projects  for  studies  run  for  two  to  three  years  and  projects  for 
construction works  run  for four to  five years, most  CEF Transport  projects are still in  their 
early stages. More than 600 projects are currently ongoing. Only a few small projects (23) are 
already finalised (e.g. alternative fuels infrastructure, safe and secure parking areas). So far, 
projects  are  progressing  as  expected  and  in  line  with  their  respective  grant  agreements. 
Possible delays might only appear in the coming years. 

CEF  Transport  has  successfully  implemented  the  ‘use  it  or  lose  it’  principle.  If  the 
implementation of a project is delayed, its scope is adapted and its grant reduced accordingly. 
The budget is then made available in another (‘reflow’) call for proposals. 

Energy: 

21 Greener Transport Infrastructure for Europe 2014-2024: Building future-proof infrastructure thanks to the 
Connecting Europe Facility Transport. 
22 Interconnected sustainable energy infrastructure for Europe 2014-2024: Building a future-proof European 
Energy network with the Connecting Europe Facility Energy. 
23 CEF Energy: instrumental funding to achieve the Baltic synchronisation with the Continental European 
Network. 
24 About Connecting Europe Facility - Digital - European Health and Digital Executive Agency. 
25 Connecting Europe Facility - Performance - European Commission. 

18 

 
 
 
totalled 
CEF  Energy’s 
EUR 2 397 million, including EUR 5.9 million in revenues assigned  from  the previous CEF 
2014-2020 recovery orders in 202126. 

appropriations 

commitment 

2021-2023 

initially 

for 

Grants awarded on the basis of the calls for proposals for PCIs and CB RES projects in 2021-
2024 totalled EUR 3 542 million, with the 2024 CB RES calls still pending. 

EUR 430  million  was  transferred  from  the  CEF  Energy  commitment  appropriations  for  the 
year  2023  to  CEF  Transport.  This  shows  that  CEF  budget  is  being  used  between  the  three 
sectors in the most efficient way. In 2023, the CEF Energy strand still had a limited portfolio 
of  projects  that  had  been  awarded  funding  and  some  of  which  had  faced  implementation 
delays.  At  the  same  time,  CEF  Transport  was  frontloading  its  budget  and  could  use  the 
transferred budget under the 2023 CEF Transport calls. 

The  transferred  budget  will  be  returned  to  CEF  Energy  as  of  2025  and  is  expected  to  be 
committed in the following years, as major investment needs are expected in the new energy 
infrastructure categories (notably offshore grids and hydrogen). The results of the 2024 CEF 
call  for  PCIs  and  PMIs  confirmed  this:  the  grants  awarded  total  EUR 1 250 million,  and 
offshore grids and hydrogen projects comprise 24 of the 41 proposals selected (amounting to 
EUR 947 million or 76% of the funding allocated). 

Digital: 

EUR 150 million of the reference amount in the legal base for CEF Digital was transferred to 
the  Chips  Act  and  EUR 110 million  of  the  reference  amount  was  transferred  to  the 
Infrastructure for Resilience, Interconnectivity and Security by Satellite (IRIS²) initiative (for 
2024-2027). 

The  start  of  the  CEF  Digital  implementation  was  somewhat  delayed,  because  of  certain 
delays  in  adoption,  the  novelty  of  the  programme,  and  the  innovative  character  of  certain 
topics (e.g. 5G for connected and automated mobility). Accordingly, Call 1 projects started in 
January 2023, Call 2 projects started in the beginning of 2024, Call 3 projects started by the 
beginning of 2025, and Call 4 projects are expected to start by early 2026. 

The three calls under the 2021-2023 work programme followed the ‘one per year’ planning 
schedule,  with  very  good  overall  budgetary  commitments  in  line  with  financial  allocations, 
particularly for submarine cable projects submitted under the Digital Global Gateways call. 

While the first project results will be available only starting from 2025, the current portfolio 
of projects  can be considered as being  on track. After the initial  three  calls, CEF Digital  is 
currently  funding  117 projects  covering  its  main  topics,  with  a  total  budget  exceeding 
EUR 640 million. 

VI.  Conclusions and outlook for remaining MFF period 

26  As  per  the  first  multiannual  work  programme  in  2021,  C(2021)  5791  final  of  6 August 2021:  Commission 
Implementing Decision on the financing of the Connecting Europe Facility and the adoption of the multiannual 
work programme for the period 2021-2027. 

19 

 
 
 
 
The entire  budget  for the  CEF  Transport  strand  will be committed  in  2025  and no further 
calls are planned under the current MFF, unless there are some limited reflows of funds not 
used by the projects. 

The projects selected in the CEF Transport calls all have a high EU added value and should 
contribute to the completion of the TEN-T network. At the same time, investment needs for 
the TEN-T network remain high. According to the position paper of the TEN-T Coordinators 
from April 202427, the total investment needed to complete the core and extended core TEN-
T  network  is  EUR 845 billion  over  the  next  15  years. This  number  takes  account  of  all  the 
new requirements added during the revision of the TEN-T Regulation. For projects with the 
highest  EU  added  value  alone,  the  remaining  amount  to  be  invested  is  estimated  at  around 
EUR 210 billion. 

The current geopolitical context requires us to invest as fast as possible in military mobility 
projects that increase the capacity for large-scale movements of troops and heavy material at 
short notice. Such projects should be implemented in a coordinated manner between Member 
States to allow for seamless cross-border mobility. 

For the CEF Energy strand, the Commission will continue organising calls for proposals for 
PCIs and PMIs and for cross-border renewable projects until 2027, and  the entire budget is 
expected to  be committed by the end of the programme. The high  EU added value of CEF 
Energy  projects  comes  from  their  contributions  to  the  integration  of  the  internal  energy 
markets, to the security of energy supply, and to the decarbonisation of the energy system. 

According to a study of investment needs published in January 202528, the investment needs 
for cross-border electricity projects and offshore connections alone will total EUR 130 billion 
over  2024-2040.  Cross-border  cooperation  projects  in  the  field  of  renewable  energy  (CB 
RES projects) are key to leveraging asymmetries of generation and demand potential, and are 
already  essential  for  Member  States  where  all  possibilities  for  a  domestically  focused 
deployment  have  been  exhausted.  EU  support  is  instrumental  in  facilitating  such  projects, 
which  entail  intensive  capital  expenditures  and  a  greater  level  of  complexity  and  risks,  for 
instance  due  to  the  difficulty  of  finding  cost-benefit  sharing  agreements  between  Member 
States. 

The  second  CEF  Digital  work  programme  (2024-2027)  builds  on  the  results  and  lessons 
learned  with  the  implementation  of  the  first  work  programme  (2021-2023)  and  on  the 
evolving policy priorities in  the area of digital connectivity infrastructure. CEF Digital  will 
continue  supporting  the  backbone  connectivity  and  5G  topics  mentioned  above,  with  some 
adaptations  for  the  5G  related  calls,  which  are  now  integrated  into  ‘5G  large-scale  pilots’ 
(starting with Call 4, opened on 22 October 2024). 

The planned distribution of the EUR 865 million  budget  available  for  2024-2027 prioritises 
increasing  the  capacity,  resilience  and  security  of  EU  cross-border  connectivity,  with 
EUR 542 million  in  funding  for  global  gateways  or  submarine  cables.  Another  priority  is 

27 Connecting Europe. A transport funding and financing that is adapted to the challenges ahead. TEN-T 
Coordinators' Position Paper. 
28  European  Commission:  Directorate-General  for  Energy,  Finesso,  A.,  Kralli,  A.,  Bene,  C.,  Goodall,  F.  et 
al., Investment  needs  of  European  energy  infrastructure  to  enable  a  decarbonised  economy  –  Final  report, 
Publications Office of the European Union, 2025. 

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continuing  the  deployment  of  state-of-the-art  connectivity  for  advanced  and  innovative 
applications, with EUR 205 million for 5G pilots. EUR 90 million has been earmarked for the 
deployment of cross-border quantum communication links between Member States. 

Work  on  the  interim  evaluation  of  the  2021-2027  CEF  is  ongoing,  to  analyse  the  CEF 
programme  in  more  depth. A  support  study  has  been  tendered  and  in  November  2024  the 
Commission published the ‘Monitoring and Evaluation Framework’ (SWD(2024) 276)29. 

29 Commission Staff Working Document. Monitoring and Evaluation Framework for the Connecting Europe 
Facility 2021-2027. 

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