Today the Commission is releasing €980 million of funding for key European energy infrastructure projects with major cross-border benefits. The EU funding comes from the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF), the European support programme for trans-European infrastructure. This a crucial instrument to deliver on the Green Deal, one of the political priorities of the von der Leyen Commission, given the key enabling role of energy infrastructure in the transition to a climate neutral economy. The 2020 CEF Energy call for proposals will be open until 27 May 2020. To apply for CEF Energy funding, projects must first be designated Projects of Common Interest (PCIs). PCIs need to have a significant impact on at least two EU countries and must increase competitiveness, enhance the EU’s energy security and contribute to sustainable development. Given the climate neutrality objective under the Green Deal, financial assistance provided under this call for proposals should maximise its added value towards decarbonisation. The proposals submitted for co-financing, which can be for studies or construction works, will then be evaluated against several additional criteria. These criteria include their state of maturity, their benefits in terms of security of supply, solidarity or innovation, the extent of public support needed to remove financing bottlenecks as well as the priority and urgency of the proposed action. Background CEF-Energy provides EU funding for energy infrastructure projects that increase competitiveness, enhance the EU's security of energy supply, contribute to sustainable development and reduction of CO2 emissions, as well as promotion of safe, efficient and secure network operation (including cybersecurity). CEF-Energy has a total budget of €4.9 billion for trans-European energy infrastructure for the period 2014-2020. In order to be eligible for a grant, a proposal has to be 'a project of common interest' (PCI). The Union-wide list of Projects of Common Interest is updated every two years. The latest PCI list was adopted by the Commission in October 2019 and will enter into force on 31 March 2020. The CEF-Energy has allocated €3.9 bn to PCIs to date. In the next long-term EU budget 2021-2027, the European Commission has proposed to renew the Connecting Europe Facility, allocating €42.3 billion to support investments in European infrastructure networks. For CEF Energy, the European Commission has proposed a budget of €8.7 billion including a new window for cross-border projects in the field of renewable energy. Related links Commission decision Annex to Commission decision Overview of projects financed by Connecting Europe Facility – Energy in 2014-2016 Current list of 'projects of common interest' Connecting Europe Facility Energy infrastructure Details Publication date13 March 2020AuthorDirectorate-General for EnergyLocationBrussels
