CEF Transport

Grant to support the trans-European transport networks

Improving transport networks

Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) Transport

CEF Transport, which is part of the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF), is a financing instrument that supports the improvement and strengthening of the Trans-European Network for Transport (TEN-T). By means of CEF Transport, the European Commission is building the core and comprehensive transport networks for goods and passengers in Europe. It is intended to connect all of the major hubs, transshipment terminals, ports, airports and cities. There is an increased focus on sustainable, safe and smart transport of goods and passengers.

In short

CEF Transport overview

For whom?

Government (national, provinces, municipalities)

Enterprises (port authorities, industrial, logistics and service-providing companies)

When to apply

Each year, a new call for proposals for CEF Transport is published. The most recent call was published on 26 September 2023. The call is open until 30 January 2024.

How much?

From 2021 to 2027, CEF Transport has more than 25.8 billion euros available to support European projects. The CEF Transport call of September 2023 has a grant budget of 7 billion euros.

The grant amounts are as follows:

Studies or study projects with pilot activities: up to 50% of project costs
Implementation projects: up to 30 to 50% of project costs
Implementation projects for military mobility (dual use): up to 50% of project costs

For what?

Studies or study projects with pilot activities

Implementation projects

Implementation projects for military mobility (dual use)

Your benefit

What does the CEF transport grant provide?

Country type

Grant% IMPLEMENTATION PROJECTS

Grant% Study projects

General envelope countries (EU Member States except those eligible for the Cohesian envelope)

30%

50%

Cohesian envelope countries (Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Croatia, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Malta, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia)

85%

Besides investment costs for transport infrastructure, costs for investments in so-called synergetic elements are also eligible. These are investments related to other sectors from the CEF programme (CEF Energy and CEF Digital) and these costs may not exceed 20% of the total project costs.

Overview of

CEF Transport themes

Promising themes: the best funding opportunities within CEF Transport are for projects that are well aligned with current EU priorities and themes:

Infrastructure projects on both the TEN-T core network and the comprehensive network (such as railroads, inland ports, seaports, waterways, terminals and multimodal transhipment points)
Interoperability of transportation
Motorways of the Sea
Multimodal passenger hubs
Reduction of noise pollution caused by railroads
Safe and secure truck parking lots
Alternative fuel infrastructure
Road Safety
Resilience of infrastructure to (climate) change

Meet the requirements

CEF Transport conditions

There are a number of terms of eligibility associated with this grant scheme, including the following:

To qualify for financial support from CEF Transport, your project must be designated as a project of common interest (PCI).

A project is only eligible for CEF Transport if it has been approved by the countries in which the implementers of the project are located.

EGEN tip

Start preparing a CEF Transport grant application on time. Besides a good justification of the project in the form of a project plan and budget, various statements from authorities should be attached.

In addition, prior to starting the application process, it can be useful to already carry out the cost-benefit analysis (mandatory for implementation projects) in order to gain insight into whether the project can qualify for the grant. EGEN has extensive experience with cost-benefit analyses in the context of the CEF Transport programme and can also support you in this phase of the application process.

Get in touch

What can EGEN do for you?

If you have ideas for a project that is a match for one of the CEF Transport themes, please tell us about them. We have already handled several successful CEF Transport grant applications and would be happy to help you too!

“The way in which we will travel and transport goods in the coming years is going to be more sustainable, and I am excited to be able to contribute to these physical changes. My perseverance in turning projects into a good-news story and bringing the right parties together is my main asset.”

Contact Simone Zwijnenberg →

Your application

Apply for CEF grant

The CEF Transport grant application consists of 3 phases:

Writing

Writing the complete grant application consisting of: project plan, project budget, cost-benefit analysis (if implementing (Works) project) and other mandatory annexes (including Member State approval, environmental compliance file)

Submitting

Submitting the CEF Transport grant application in the EU funding portal

Preparation

Preparation of mandatory reports for CINEA. Your approved CEF Transport grant project is eminently an assignment for our EGEN consultants. We have all the expertise and knowledge you need to successfully submit the application. We can guide you through all the components involved in successfully submitting the application. When you receive the grant, our compliance department can support you with the project administration and preparing the final report.

Step 1: Writing

Step 2: Submitting