Major European industry associations, including ACEA, Airports Council International Europe, Airlines for Europe, the Community of European Railway and Infrastructure Companies, the European Sea Ports Organisation, European Rail Infrastructure Managers, and the International Road Transport Union, have called on EU Member States and the European Commission to significantly increase funding for the transport sector under the upcoming Multiannual Financial Framework. The signatories insist on increasing the budget of the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) to at least €100 billion, emphasizing that without modern and sustainable infrastructure, Europe will not be able to ensure strategic autonomy, competitiveness, and crisis resilience.
According to the organizations, amid rising geopolitical tensions, climate risks, and new requirements for military mobility, EU infrastructure remains insufficiently adapted to dual-use missions. Updated military mobility regulations confirm the vulnerability of the transport network to natural and man-made disruptions, as well as the lack of reserve capacity. The sector believes it is urgent to modernize and eliminate bottlenecks in the TEN-T network, improve connectivity, capacity, and resilience of infrastructure to ensure the smooth movement of goods and passengers even during a crisis.
Industry representatives emphasize that transport is the foundation of the EU’s internal market and a key factor in industrial competitiveness and the transition to climate neutrality. However, many projects with high social significance face funding shortfalls and are unable to provide sufficient returns without EU grant support. They assess that the CEF has already proven its effectiveness, but chronic underfunding and excess demand for funds are hindering the implementation of priority initiatives. The organizations expressed their readiness to implement large-scale projects but emphasized that without increasing the EU budget, achieving the Union’s strategic goals will be impossible.