The 2024 call of the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) for Transport showcases the EU’s strategic investment in cross-border connectivity, reinforcing the essential role of border regions in advancing a seamless and sustainable European transport network. 94 projects that will receive almost €2,8 billion in EU grants were selected, aiming to bridge national systems by rail, road, maritime and inland waterways into unified corridors that deliver both interoperability and cohesion.
Cross-border rail remains a major focus of the selected projects, with several infrastructure and European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS) deployment projects improving interoperability on critical Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) corridors. Projects like the Rail Baltica global project (Estonia–Latvia–Lithuania), and ERTMS upgrades along lines such as Angermünde–Stettin (Germany–Poland), Flensburg–Wrist (Germany–Denmark), and Munich–Salzburg (Germany–Austria) aim to eliminate cross-border bottlenecks. Preparatory works for new high-speed links between Katowice and Ostrava (Poland–Czechia) and Iași–Ungheni (Romania–Moldova) are expected to unlock faster, more efficient cross-border mobility across Central and Eastern Europe.
Maritime and port infrastructure also features prominently in the selected cross-border projects. Initiatives such as Hansalink Phase 3 (Helsinki–Lübeck) and HARBOUR Part 2 (Rostock–Hanko) continue to enhance short-sea shipping links between Germany, Finland and other Baltic states. Investments in onshore power supply (OPS) and port capacity are laying the groundwork for greener maritime corridors that connect ports across national boundaries.
The inland waterways and intermodal sectors are also receiving a boost through projects like the Gambsheim lock upgrade on the French–German Rhine corridor and the Sava River Waterway rehabilitation between Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. These efforts address both resilience and capacity, demonstrating the EU’s commitment to sustainable transport along natural borders and shared river systems.
Finally, comprehensive digitalisation and traffic management initiatives such as VERKKO, TISGRADE, and eFTI4LIVE reflect the EU’s ambition to create a harmonised digital backbone for cross-border mobility, freight logistics and data exchange. These multi-country efforts strengthen not just physical connections but also institutional and technological interoperability across Europe.
You can read more on the project selection here and find the full list of approved projects here.
- Logga in för att kommentera