Building the Energy Union by completing the internal energy market: Commission releases €200 million for cross-border energy networks

Today, the European Commission has opened a call for proposals under the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) to help finance key EU energy infrastructure projects. €200 million will be made available for projects which aim at eliminating bottlenecks preventing the free flow of energy across EU countries.

Once finalised, the projects will help complete the EU internal energy market and create a resilient Energy Union with a forward-looking climate change policy, a priority of the Juncker Commission. EU Commissioner for Climate Action and Energy Miguel Arias Cañete said: “With this call for proposals we are actively investing EU money where it is most needed and where it will bring most gains. With the necessary investments, EU consumers will be able to enjoy the benefits of a modern, reliable and sustainable EU-wide energy system. A fully functioning energy market with well-connected energy networks is an essential building block for the Energy Union.”This EU money is expected to act as a catalyst for speeding up the implementation of the projects and attracting much needed financing from private and public investors. With a total of €800 million for grants foreseen in 2016, this is the first of two CEF energy calls for this year. The deadline to submit applications is 28 April 2016. A decision on the selection of proposals to be funded is expected to be adopted by the end of July. Find more information about the CEF energy call for proposal and the Energy Union online. Furthermore, the Investment Plan for Europe (EFSI) has already helped to finance 21 projects in the energy and climate action sector. (For more information: Anna-Kaisa Itkonen – Tel.: +32 229 56186; Nicole Bockstaller