ESPO welcomes the European Commission’s decision to continue the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) programme. This ensures funding for transport and energy network upgrades through a centrally managed European instrument with a solid budget.
“Improving transport infrastructure and connectivity is key to Europe’s competitiveness and resilience,” says Isabelle Ryckbost, ESPO Secretary General. “Ports play a geostrategic role as multimodal nodes. They serve as transport hubs, gateways for trade, industrial clusters, military mobility, and energy hubs. Ports can only fulfil this role if they receive funding for investments that serve the public interest but may not provide a financial return. We hope the Parliament and Member States understand this need and urgency.”
The CEF proposal includes an increase to €81.4 billion. ESPO sees this as a positive and essential step. It is a minimum requirement to achieve Europe’s strategic objectives. Robust transport and energy infrastructure, including port investments, is vital to reinforce industrial competitiveness, enhance military mobility, secure critical raw materials and energy, promote cohesion, support decarbonisation, and strengthen Europe’s role in global supply chains.
ESPO also welcomes the CEF proposal’s focus on the cross-border dimension of ports, as outlined in the annex and confirmed in the TEN-T Regulation of 2024.
Ports also support military preparedness and overall resilience. Dual-use capabilities allow critical nodes in the transport network to respond to emerging geopolitical challenges.
Europe’s seaports view the CEF proposal as a strong start to achieving resilience, competitiveness, and decarbonisation goals. ESPO urges EU institutions and Member States to create a dedicated, reliable, and coherent CEF budget for port infrastructure. This budget should recognise the strategic and cross-border role of European ports.
A resilient, sustainable, and competitive Europe requires strong and future-proof ports.
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