Investments in co-financing a total of 107 infrastructure projects for sustainable, safe and efficient transport, amounting to €6.2 billion across the EU, the European Commission announced
Investments in co-financing a total of 107 infrastructure projects for sustainable, safe and efficient transport, amounting to 6.2 billion euros throughout the EU, the European Commission announced. The projects include, among others, major cross-border connections and port development, while in the case of Cyprus the two projects being financed are the construction of the southern section of the Nicosia perimeter highway (€32.9 million), and a Eurocontrol project in which Cyprus participates to improve the interoperability and efficiency of air traffic management.
As stated in a Commission announcement, the grants come from the Connecting Europe Facility, and more than 80% of the funding concerns projects moving in the direction of creating a more efficient, ecological and intelligent railway network, as well as inland waterways and maritime roads along the trans-European transport network (TEN-T). The projects are also targeted to strengthen EU-Ukraine solidarity lanes to facilitate exports and imports from the country.
The 107 projects were selected from a total of 353 proposals submitted under the call for proposals, which was published in 2022. EU funding will take the form of grants to co-finance the total cost of the projects.
Next calls for proposals under the Connecting Europe Facility in the transport sector are expected around September of 2023.
The projects concerning Cyprus
Of the funds announced by the Commission, 32.9 million euros concern the construction of the southern section of the Nicosia perimeter highway, and in particular the first part of Phase C of the project, which connects the ring road with the highway to Limassol.
“The main benefits of the project include the reduction of travel time in the wider area of Nicosia, the reduction of traffic congestion and the reduction of environmental impacts” is stated in the summary of the project published by the Commission.
Cyprus it also participates with 22 other Member States in a project managed by Eurocontrol to improve the interoperability and efficiency of air traffic management, and which is granted a total of 71.3 million euros.
The project includes designs to reduce congestion, delays, unnecessary carbon dioxide emissions and congestion at major European hubs, operational designs to enable aircraft to fly more direct routes thereby reducing flight time and emissions, and development common standards, protocols and digital services so that aviation operators can seamlessly exchange aeronautical and flight information.
Cross-border connections
The package of projects selected prioritizes the funding of major cross-border rail links along the TEN-T core network. According to the Commission announcement, these include the main Brenner tunnel (connecting Italy and Austria), Rail Baltica (connecting the three Baltic States and Poland to the rest of Europe), as well as the cross-border section between of Germany and the Netherlands (Emmerich-Oberhausen).
The package also supports seaports in Ireland, Greece, Spain, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands and Poland to develop shore-based electricity to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from docked vessels. boats.
Furthermore, the package includes modernization of the infrastructure of the Seine-Scalde cross-border waterways between France and Belgium, as well as the upgrading of inland ports in the Danube and Rhine basins, such as Vienna and Andernach.
As part of the effort to increase the safety and interoperability of rail transport, the installation of the European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS) is being promoted on trains and railway lines in the Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, France, Austria and Slovakia .
On the road network, several EU Member States will develop Intelligent Transport Systems and Services (ITS), in particular collaborative ITS (C-ITS) for safer and more efficient transport, while several Member States will still receive support for European air traffic management projects with the ultimate goal of promoting the policy of a Single European Sky.
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