Approves funding for the objectives of the European Green Agreement: funding has also been provided for the Rail Baltica project
On Thursday, 15 July, the European Commission (EC) agreed to provide € 242.2 million in funding from the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) for transport, reaffirming its commitment to green, user-friendly and smart transport networks. infrastructure projects. The agreement envisages financing for the Baltic States for the implementation of the Rail Baltica project, the indicative amount of financing for Latvia is approximately 5 million euros.
“This week, we adopted important legislative proposals that will help the European Union (EU) reduce its net greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030. The research that we are supporting today through the Connecting Europe Facility is contributing to this goal. They are the starting point for many projects that will help speed up the transition to a smart and sustainable transport network. In the future, we plan to allocate € 30 billion to transport, digital and energy projects through the Connecting Europe Facility 2021-2027, bringing us closer to achieving the goals of the European Green Agreement, ”said Adina-Ioana Vălean, EU Commissioner for Transport.
“Rail Baltica is an important project for the development of the national economy, which is implemented by attracting EU co-financing. Top modern railway line that will connect us with Europe, opening new business opportunities. At the same time, we are creating convenient regional traffic, which will significantly improve the mobility of the population. We are pleased with the progress made so far in attracting funds from the Connecting Europe Facility, ”comments Ligita Austrupe, Deputy State Secretary of the Ministry of Transport.
The EU continues to support projects that help achieve the climate goals of the European Green Agreement. In total, funding has been provided for 68 research projects that will contribute to future infrastructure improvements and, once implemented, will help to bridge the gaps in transport in Europe, support sustainable transport and create new jobs. More than half of the supported projects will contribute to a stronger European rail network by developing cross-border connections and strengthening key sections.
All three Baltic States will also receive financial support to finance future Rail Baltica project activities from the Cohesion Fund. The indicative amount of funding for Latvia is approximately 5 million euros. It is planned that the financing agreement will be concluded by the end of 2021.
To date, Latvia has received CEF funding of approximately 313 million by participating in CEF 1, 2, 3 and CEF 6 calls.
The EU will support the research needed to implement future rail infrastructure projects on the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) core, with € 181.4 million in funding for 37 calls. Projects have been selected for funding through a call for proposals, with EU Member States participating in a call launched at the end of 2020. The EU financial contribution is awarded in the form of grants, with a different co-financing rate depending on whether or not the project is located in a country eligible for the Cohesion Fund.
Under the CEF transport program, € 23.4 billion has been allocated from the EU budget for the period 2014-2020 to co-finance TEN-T projects in EU Member States. Since 2014, six CEF calls for proposals have been launched, supporting 955 projects for a total amount of € 23 billion in the transport sector.
Following the approval of the selected projects in the EU Member States, the European Commission will take formal decisions on the funding process in the coming weeks. The European Executive Agency for Climate, Infrastructure and the Environment (CINEA) will then start work on contracting with project beneficiaries.
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