The European Parliament and European Council have reached a provisional agreement to renew the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF), as part of the 2021-2027 long-term EU budget. The scheme is designed to support the EU’s green and digital transition with a view to improving digital infrastructure by 2030, reducing overall emissions by 90 percent by 2050 and boosting cross-border transport networks. The provisional agreement to free up EUR 33.7 billion in funding now has to be formally approved by both the European Parliament and the Council.
In a statement welcoming the agreement, the EU's industry chief Thierry Breton, said the new CEF Digital scheme will be one of the bloc’s key tools to support cross-border fibre and 5G connections, ensuring that all citizens and businesses will benefit from innovative digital services. In the digital sector, CEF will allocate EUR 2 billion to European connectivity infrastructures and to stimulate the deployment and take-up of 5G networks by local communities.
The bulk of the funding – some EUR 25.8 billion – will be made available to co-fund transport projects in EU Member States, with a further EUR 5.8 billion supporting projects of common interest under the TEN-E Regulation as well as cross-border projects in the field of renewable energy.
