EU Member States, represented in the Connecting Europe Facility Coordination Committee, approved the allocation of €13.1 billion to support a total of 276 projects selected following the first transport calls for proposals under the CEF, published in 2014.
The whole process of application and evaluation has been coordinated by Brussels-based Innovation and Network Executive Agency. A number of projects with Baltic ports as beneficiaries have been approved, according to a Baltic Ports Organization’s statement.
The 2014 CEF transport calls were the largest to date for TEN-T projects, attracting with 700 project proposals. According to European Commission priorities were given to the projects with the highest European added value, ranging from small studies to enhance the environmental performance of transport (including alternative fuels as LNG) to flagship cross-border infrastructure works.
Within Motorways of the Sea Programme, a number of projects with Baltic ports as beneficiaries were selected for funding including investments in port infrastructure, “green” investments, the facility for LNG bunkering. Moreover; some of the Baltic shipping lines received funding for retrofitting of their fleet or LNG fuel system installations. The EU Member States have also selected large transport infrastructure projects.
Next Motorways of the Sea call is expected to be open in autumn 2015.