On 19 June, the European Commission, through the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA), officially launched the 2026 call for proposals under the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) for Transport. This latest release opens up €1.1 billion in funding dedicated to building and modernising transport infrastructure across the EU, as well as within CEF-associated countries, specifically Ukraine and Moldova.
The funding aims to accelerate the completion and modernised overhaul of the trans-European transport network (TEN-T), driving forward a more sustainable, smart, interoperable and resilient mobility ecosystem.
Aligning with the updated TEN-T Regulation (EU) 2024/1679, the call covers several priority areas:
- railway and inland waterway projects on the TEN-T Core Network,
- the electrification of road haulage and airports,
- alternative fuel infrastructure in maritime and inland ports.
For the digital mobility sector, the call also targets the digitalisation of road transport, alongside adaptations for transport infrastructure at Union external borders and dedicated Military Mobility.
Applications are open to one or more Member States, international organisations, and public or private bodies established in an EU Member State or associated countries. The strict deadline for electronic submission via the Funding and Tenders Portal is 6 October 2026 at 17:00 CET.
Impact on ERTICO Partners
The 2026 CEF Transport call represents an opportunity for ERTICO Partners.
Funding for digitalisation and smart mobility: The inclusion of the "digitalisation of road transport" opens direct funding avenues for partners working on Cooperative ITS (C-ITS), data spaces, automated driving infrastructure and smart traffic management solutions. This is a prime opportunity to transition pilot technologies into large scale corridor deployments.
upport for clean and electric fleets: Partners in the automotive, logistics and energy sectors can directly benefit from the focus on electrifying road haulage and maritime ports. This funding can de-risk substantial investments in heavy-duty charging infrastructure and alternative fuel networks.
Consortium building and cross-border interoperability: CEF projects inherently require high levels of cross-border cooperation and multimodality. ERTICO Partners can leverage the network's ecosystem to form powerful public-private consortia, particularly when linking EU networks with Ukraine and Moldova.
Looking Ahead
Following the launch, CINEA will host an online information session on Wednesday 24 June 2026 to guide potential applicants through the strict application procedures, evaluation criteria and submission requirements.
Once the October deadline closes, proposals will undergo independent evaluation by experts, the European Commission and CINEA. Applicants can expect to receive their evaluation results within six months of submission (by April 2027), with formal grant agreements scheduled to be signed within nine months (by July 2027).
Source: European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency. (2026, June 19). CEF Transport: €1.1 billion available for infrastructure projects across the EU. European Commission. https://cinea.ec.europa.eu/news-events/news/cef-transport-eu11-billion-available-infrastructure-projects-across-eu-2026-06-19_en