Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has increased the urgency of making Europe’s transport infrastructure fit for dual civil and defence use. The European Commission has therefore brought forward the awarding of grants for projects that support military mobility. Other projects selected will help put in place the infrastructure for an anticipated increase in energy-efficient and zero-emission mobility. A total of 37 projects will receive EUR 425 million under the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) calls for proposals launched in September 2021.
Commissioner for Transport Adina Vălean said: “Europe’s Transport infrastructure is critical for our security, this is why we are taking concrete measures to support investments that make it fit, not only for civilian use, but also for our defence. We are funding projects worth 339 million that will facilitate the movement of military troops and assets leading to more efficient deployment of our missions on the ground. In addition, we also decided to advance the 2nd Military Mobility call originally planned for later this year.”
The Commission accelerated the evaluation of the military mobility proposals and has selected 22 projects to receive support worth EUR 339 million to ensure that transport infrastructure is adapted for dual civil/defence use. Projects include railway infrastructure upgrades to allow the circulation of larger and heavier trains, as well as works to increase port and airport capacity and strengthen road bridges. The next military mobility call has also been brought forward, and will now be launched in May 2022.
The CEF 2021 calls also invited proposals for the first selection under the Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Facility (AFIF). In line with the European Green Deal goals and increasing the EU’s energy independence, the Facility will help Europe’s transport network move away from reliance on fossil fuels. A total of 15 alternative fuel projects will receive the support of EUR 86 million between them. The projects range from the installation of electric recharging stations along with the EU’s TEN-T road network to the deployment of hydrogen refuelling stations for cars, lorries and buses, and the electrification of ground handling services at airports. The call remains open, with regular cut-off dates until 19 September 2023. The next cut-off date is 7 June 2022.
For the remaining 2021 calls, addressing notably railway, waterborne and road infrastructure on the TEN-T network and traffic management systems for all modes of transport, the selected projects will be announced in June 2022.
Source: European Commission
