The EU will finance 94 transport projects under the CEF program

The European Commission (EC) has selected 94 transport projects to receive nearly €2.8 billion in EU grants under the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF).

It is noted that by modernizing railways, inland waterways, and maritime routes in the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T), these projects will help to better connect European regions and cities, making the bloc’s internal market more competitive and sustainable.

Rail transport will receive the largest share of funding (77% of the total amount). Investments will be directed towards significant infrastructure modernisation in the core and extended TEN-T networks, particularly in countries participating in the cooperation. This includes the construction of Rail Baltica in the Baltic region and Poland, as well as improvements in Greece and Slovakia. High-speed rail lines will also be developed in the Czech Republic and Poland.

In addition, 46 projects in 11 Member States, including Austria, Germany, Hungary, Italy, and Sweden, will implement the European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS) on trains and tracks.

The EU is continuing its efforts to strengthen the “Solidarity Routes” between the EU and Ukraine by implementing projects to improve rail connections and border crossing points between Slovakia and Ukraine, as well as between Romania and Moldova.

“The support of the bloc will help Ukraine transition to the standard EU railway gauge, which will facilitate uninterrupted cross-border rail connections and boost regional trade,” the EC said in a statement.

In particular, the EU has decided to allocate €76 million in grant aid for the implementation of the first phase of the construction of the European gauge railway in Ukraine.

According to the Ministry of Development, this involves a project to lay a 1435 mm standard Eurotrack on the Sknyliv-Mostyska II section, which will connect Lviv with the Polish border and open up additional direct rail links between Ukraine and the European Union. Funding will be allocated under the CEF 2024 program.

«Euro gauge means shorter travel times, no need for passengers to change trains, new opportunities for transit, and less congestion at border crossings. At the same time, it is an investment in Ukraine’s economic stability, trade development, export growth, and new opportunities for business and logistics,» said Deputy Prime Minister for Recovery and Minister of Community and Territorial Development Oleksiy Kuleba.

The construction of the Sknyliv-Mostyska II section is not the only Euro-infrastructure project in western Ukraine. The construction of the Euro-gauge railway between Uzhhorod and Chop is also nearing completion, and the border control point has already been moved from the border to the Mostyska II station.

Ukraine, Romania, and the EU are strengthening their logistical cooperation in the Danube region. At the end of May this year, a trilateral meeting on the development of port infrastructure and shipping was held in Galati, Romania.