June 21 - The European Commission has unveiled a list of 195 transport projects that will receive EUR6.7 billion (USD7.5 billion) of funding under the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF).
This investment is expected to unlock additional public and private co-financing for a combined amount of EUR9.6 billion (USD10.8 billion).
Commission vice president Jyrki Katainen said that the funding would lead to more jobs and generate economic growth in Europe.
Katainen invited all potential project promoters to explore investment possibilities under the Investment Plan for Europe, and in particular the newly launched European Investment Project Portal (EIPP).
EU commissioner for transport, Violeta Bulc, said that the projects could create up to 100,000 jobs by 2030; she was encouraged by funding being received by the western Balkan region, which should bring its transport infrastructure more in line with the rest of Europe.
The projects are primarily located on the core trans-European transport network (TEN-T) and include the rehabilitation of the Brasov Sighisoara rail section in Romania; the Aveiro Vilar Formoso rail connection in Portugal; the development of a standard-gauge railway line in the Rail Baltic corridor; the implementation of the SESAR deployment programme; and the modernisation of the E30 railway line in Poland.
www.ec.europa.eu
