The EU will provide a total financial support of EUR 292.5 million to 24 projects. The objective is to help delivering a transport network which is environmentally sustainable. The projects have been selected among those submitted under calls for proposals issued under CEF Transport, the funding programme supporting European transport infrastructure.
Under the second cut-off date of the Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Facility (AFIF) call for proposals, which closed on 7 June 2022, 24 projects were selected for a total EU grant support of EUR 292.5 million. This support is systematically coupled with a loan or investment facility from a financial institution. The projects range from the installation of electric recharging stations along the European TEN-T road network to the deployment of hydrogen refuelling stations for cars, trucks and buses and the electrification of ground handling services in airports. The call remains open with further cut-off dates at regular intervals until 19 September 2023. The next cut-off date is 10 November 2022.
Commissioner for Transport Adina Vălean, said: “Our investment of €292.5m will translate into approximately 5,700 charging points in around 1,400 charging stations, plus some 57 hydrogen refuelling stations along the TEN-T network – all within the next 3 years. In line with the European Green Deal goals and the need to increase the EU’s energy independence, the projects will help Europe’s transport network move away from reliance on fossil fuels.”
Her comments were echoed by the Director of the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA), Dirk Beckers, who stated: “The EU keeps its commitment to achieve the decarbonisation of the transport sector and its determination to deliver a better transport infrastructure for all Europeans, greener and sustainable.”
Background
The EU’s financial contribution comes in the form of grants with different co-financing rates or Unit contributions depending on whether the project is located in a country eligible for Cohesion Fund support or not.
Under the CEF Transport programme, EUR 25.8 billion has been made available for grants from the EU’s 2021-2027 budget to co-fund TEN-T projects in the EU Member States. Since 2014 (under the 2014-2020 budget), CEF has supported over 1,000 projects for a total amount of more than EUR 23 billion in the transport sector.
Next steps
Following the EU Member States’ approval of the selected projects on 12 September, the Commission will adopt formal financing decisions in the coming weeks. The European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA) has started the preparation of the grant agreements with the project beneficiaries.
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