The European Commission said more than EUR 1 billion of funds under the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) will be invested in innovative and secure connectivity projects over the next 3 years. After announcing earlier this year that over EUR 2 billion of CEF funding will be dedicated to improving Europe's digital connectivity infrastructures over the 2021-27 period, the Commission confirmed that the first calls for CEF Digital covering 2021-23 will be launched in early January 2022.
CEF Digital will contribute to connectivity projects of common EU interest and to the deployment of safe, secure and sustainable high-performance infrastructure, including gigabit and 5G networks across the EU, said the Commission. Specific supported actions include the deployment of 5G infrastructures in Europe, in particular 5G coverage along cross-border corridors and 5G for smart communities.
The funding will also support the deployment of new or significant upgrade of existing backbone networks, including cloud federations, ultra-secure quantum communication infrastructures and submarine cables, to improve the performance of the electronic communications networks within and between Member States and between the Union and third countries.
Finally, the package will support the implementation of digital connectivity infrastructures related to cross-border projects in the areas of transport or energy and/or supporting operational digital platforms directly associated to transport or energy infrastructures.
