During an informal meeting in Tallinn on 20 and 21 September, European Union transport ministers exchanged observations on the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) and identified their requirements for the post-2020 multiannual budget.
The question of transport infrastructure investment was at the centre of the debates at this two-day political meeting. The first session brought energy and transport ministers together on 20 September, while the session on 21 September only involved the latter.
During the discussions, participants welcomed the investments made through the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF), which has helped co-finance €21.4 billion for transport projects since 2014, particularly within the Trans-European Network for Transport (TEN-T), in order to modernise and connect transport infrastructure on Union territory.
Ministers also informed European Commissioner for Transport Violeta Bulc what their financial requirements were in terms of the next multiannual financial framework post-2020 and architecture of the next CEF. In this connection, the Commission estimates that €500 million will be required for investments for the 2020-2030 period in order to complete the core TEN-T network and that €1.5 trillion will be needed for all TEN-T networks. Although the task will be hard and long, Bulc said she was “confident” that these networks would be completed.
Kadri Simson, the Estonian minister for economic affairs and infrastructure, nevertheless acknowledged that the European Union budget was not limitless and that transport ministers had discussed their priorities for the use of the future CEF budget. Bulc then affirmed that even if she was unable to promise anything, she would present the added value of the CEF and hoped that there would be a “fair distribution of resources” for the next multiannual budget.
Thirty organisations appeal for more investment in transport. In a press release on 21 September, 30 organisations representing the transport sector called on the European Union to invest more in transport. With the slogan “More EU budget for transport, the best investment plan for Europe”, these organisations launched a campaign the same day calling for a strong CEF for the post-2020 period. The secretary general of the European Sea Ports Organisation (ESPO), who is responsible for presenting the campaign on behalf of the organisations at the Connecting Europe conference in Tallinn on 21 and 22 September, stated: “we (...) believe that CEF support is the best guarantee to deliver high EU added value and responsible grant management”. (Original version in French by Lucas Tripoteau)