04/04/2017 (Agence Europe) – On Monday 3 April, the European Commission opened a public consultation, which will run until 26 June, on energy infrastructure projects in oil and smart grid projects submitted to the Commission with a view to their being designated projects of common interest (PCIs). The Commission launched a public consultation on 27 March – to run until 19 June – on the third list of PCIs that is to be established by the end of 2017. Projects chosen as PCIs can benefit from accelerated planning, permit granting and improved regulatory conditions. They are also eligible for financial support from the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) which allocates funding totalling €5.35 billion for trans-European energy infrastructure for the period from 2014 to 2020. (EH)