Spain obtains 241 million euros in European funds to promote an efficient and sustainable trans-European transport network

Spain has obtained 241 million euros in European aid to finance actions aimed at rolling out an efficient and sustainable Trans-European Transport Network. Specifically, 22 business projects validated by the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility will receive the funds in the framework of the 2023 call of the Connecting Europe Facility dedicated to the development of transport infrastructures of the network.

Of the selected projects, 15 are developed exclusively in Spain by public and private companies and seven are EU projects with Spanish involvement. Specifically, 13 of the 15 projects will receive 208 million euros to carry out decarbonisation and digitalisation of transport in eight autonomous communities: Aragon; Catalonia; Valencia; Andalusia; La Rioja; Cantabria; Madrid and Asturias. The other nine projects, covering the whole country, will receive some 38 million euros.

The selected actions are those that have achieved the best score in each of the lines of the call in which they participated.

The result

Within Spain, and within the framework of the facility destined for the basic network, Adif has obtained 78 million euros to co-finance the electrification of the Zaragoza-Teruel-Sagunto railway section, included in the Mediterranean Corridor. Meanwhile, the Port Authorities of Barcelona, Valencia and Gijón will receive 15, 24 and 3 million euros, respectively, for a total aid of 42 million euros, to electrify docks and allow ships docked in port to connect to the electricity grid and switch off their auxiliary engines, furthering progress in the decarbonisation of ports and transport.

Within the global network, four business projects have been awarded 57 million euros in grants. For example, the Port Authority of Almeria has obtained 6 million euros to extend the Pechina quay and Santander port will have 4 million euros for the Raíces quay.

In addition, 28 million euros has been granted to promote the development of the Sagunto multimodal logistics terminal. Finally, 20 million euros has been allocated to develop the multimodal railway terminal in Huesca.

Within the facility related to safe and secure mobility, three projects will receive 17 million euros to finance the development of safe and secure parking areas in Madrid, Catalonia and La Rioja.

Finally, 11 projects related to smart and interoperable mobility will receive a total of 48 million euros to finance the following actions:

• Development of traffic management and maritime information systems in the ports of Seville and Valencia and to implement the maritime single window at a European level.
• Development of intelligent transport systems on several Spanish roads.
• European proposals for the development of the Single European Sky (SESAR).
• Development or upgrade of information systems for advanced rail capacity planning.
• Development of data spaces for mobility analysis in Spain and a study of the potential of artificial intelligence to optimise urban and interurban public transport networks.

Connecting Europe Facility

Grants from the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) are awarded on a competitive basis, so the projects selected are those that have obtained the highest score. The potential beneficiaries of these funds are institutions or companies established in any of the countries of the European Union, which can apply either individually or in groups, as well as certain international organisations related to the infrastructure and transport sector.

The CEF Work Programme, which lays the foundations for all the calls to be held during the current Multiannual Financial Framework 2021-2027, foresees the publication of a new call in September 2024, which in the general framework in which Spain participates will cover the themes of Safe and Secure Mobility, Intelligent and Interoperable Mobility, and also Sustainable and Multimodal Mobility.

Non official translation