Connecting Europe Facility: boosting investment in the EU’s strategic infrastructure 

This article is brought to you in association with the European Parliament.

• MEPs want a €91.28 billion budget, compared to Commission €81.42 billion proposal
• Focus on cross-border actions, dual-use infrastructure, and decarbonisation
• Exploit synergies and ensure more democratic oversight

Parliament’s Energy and Transport Committees agreed to strengthen the 2028-2034 Connecting Europe Facility, EU’s main funding tool for key cross-border infrastructure projects.

Adopted on Tuesday, with 101 votes in favour, one against and 17 abstentions, the text proposes a set of rules that would govern the third generation Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) programme.

More funds, three distinct sectors

MEPs want a CEF budget of €91.28 billion in current prices (€81 billion in 2025 prices), instead of the €81.42 billion in current prices proposed by the Commission. They support a clear distribution among three separate pillars of the programme: transport (€37.96 bn), military mobility (€19.78 bn) and energy (€33.53 bn).

Specific objectives and eligible actions

In the transport sector, MEPs want funding to support the timely completion of cross-border sections of the trans-European transport network (TEN-T). Examples of actions eligible for funding include multimodal freight terminals and passenger hubs, maritime and inland waterway ports, recharging and refuelling infrastructure, road safety actions, interoperability, and digital transport services.

For military mobility, MEPs say the programme should facilitate investments for dual-use infrastructure (serving both a civilian and military role), especially for those to be identified as priorities under the upcoming regulation. Actions would adapt the TEN-T network to military transport needs by reinforcing rail and road bridges, enlarging infrastructure, upgrading tunnels and improving access to, and facilities of, ports and airports.

In the energy sector, EU funding should contribute to the decarbonisation of the economy, support cross-border electricity interconnections and projects in the field of renewable and low-carbon energy. Funding would cover the development and strengthening of grid infrastructure, enhancing physical protection, preparedness and cybersecurity, and enabling the production, storage and transport of EU-produced renewable and low carbon fuels.

Synergies and democratic oversight

To encourage synergies, MEPs want projects that contribute simultaneously to several objectives to benefit from a higher co-funding rate. They also suggest strengthening the fund’s democratic accountability by listing in the text the criteria by which a project receives funding and by asking the Commission to adopt multiannual work programmes.

Quotes

“The CEF is a strategic investment in Europe’s competitiveness and security. Connecting Europe’s energy grid means lower energy prices and a decarbonised economy but this alone is not enough. Protecting our critical energy infrastructure is the first line of our defence. Only a Europe that keeps its lights on is a Europe that keeps its promises,” said Kamila Gasiuk-Pihowicz (EPP, PL), co-rapporteur for the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy.

“Europe must invest better and deliver its transport infrastructure projects faster. With this report, we are laying the foundations for developing an interconnected, interoperable and secure European network, giving priority to the Trans-European Network corridors and the remaining cross-border sections, which is where the European added value lies,”, said Oihane Agirregoitia Martínez (Renew, ES), co-rapporteur for the Committee on Transport and Tourism.

Next steps

Following the adoption of the draft position, committees’ MEPs also endorsed a mandate for interinstitutional negotiations with the Council, by 85 votes to 24 and nine abstentions. The full House is expected to give its green light to this mandate in a future plenary session.

Background

The Commission proposed the new Connecting Europe Facility regulation on 16 July 2025. The legislation is part of the EU’s 2028–2034 long-term budget (MFF) package. Parliament wants the budget to remain a strong investment tool that supports citizens, regions and businesses, while delivering clear added value beyond national budgets. MEPs propose increasing the size of the draft budget to meet new challenges and they insist on the importance of new revenue sources to fund an ambitious and sustainable budget. Find out more information.

The main flagship projects benefiting from current funding include the Lyon-Turin high-speed rail and freight tunnel, Rail Baltica, the port of Cork and Valencia port expansions, the CARMEN smart grid in Bulgaria and Romania, and a climate-neutral municipal heating system linking two cities across the German-Polish border.