On Monday 15 December, the European energy ministers are due to adopt their partial negotiating position (general approach) with the European Parliament on the proposal for a new Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) for the period 2028–2034, as part of the EU’s future Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) (see EUROPE 13683/3).
This fund is dedicated to investment in trans-European transport and energy infrastructure networks, including military mobility and cross-border renewable energy projects.
As the Danish Presidency of the EU Council points out in a document obtained by Agence Europe, its compromise sets aside all provisions with budgetary implications or of a horizontal nature, pending further progress on the MFF in its entirety.
The European Commission’s initial proposal includes a total envelope of €81.43 billion (compared with €33.71 billion for the 2021–2027 MFF). With regard to transport, the European Commission is proposing a figure of €51.5 billion (compared with the current €25.81 billion). For energy, the figure is €29.91 billion (compared with €5.84 billion).
Energy. Among the additions made by the Danish Presidency of the Council of the EU, greater emphasis has been placed on the CEF's contribution to “the decarbonisation, integration and competitiveness of the single market”, as well as the need to take account of the specific geographical characteristics of each Member State when examining the cross-border dimension of projects.
On the energy front, the EU Council’s compromise proposal clarified the “central role” of Projects of Common Interest and Projects of Mutual Interest (PCIs/PMIs), incorporated the elimination of interconnection bottlenecks and added the protection of critical energy infrastructures.
In addition, the proposal specifies that a maximum of 5% of the Programme’s budget may also be allocated to the Union renewable energy financing mechanism “when it enables projects to be financed that allow the cost-effective integration of renewable energy sources into the energy system”.
Transport. The Danish Presidency of the EU Council has proposed a number of changes to military mobility. For example, the definition of “dual-use transport infrastructure” refers to “transport network infrastructure that serves both civil and military mobility”.
It was added that further reflection might be needed on the eligibility restrictions relating to military mobility, depending on the outcome of the MFF’s horizontal discussions.
In addition, Member States would like the programme to focus on actions relating to the EU’s four priority military mobility corridors, identified in Annex II of the regulation approved by the EU Council in March (see EUROPE 13602/2), and in any subsequent revision. They also included the possibility of supporting other actions concerning dual-use infrastructures.
The EU Council also considered that the programme should support the development of a “smart, resilient (...) and sustainable” trans-European transport network (TEN-T), equipped with interoperable and digital traffic management systems.
This TEN-T network should also be ready to cope with climate and geopolitical changes, as well as natural hazards, hybrid and cyber threats, and man-made disasters and disruptions.
Approval by the Council of the EU. Before an agreement is reached at ministerial level on 15 December, the Permanent Representatives of the Member States to the EU (Coreper) are invited to provide their agreement to this compromise on Wednesday 3 December.
The Danish Presidency will also be taking stock of this text with the European Transport Ministers on Thursday 4 December.
In the European Parliament, the Industry (ITRE) and Transport (TRAN) Committees have yet to give their joint opinion on the proposal.
View the Danish Presidency’s compromise: https://aeur.eu/f/jsp (Original version in French by Anne Damiani and Pauline Denys)