42 projects selected for EU funding of up to €260 million under second CEF Digital calls

The Commission has selected 42 projects among those submitted under the CEF Digital second round of calls for proposals. The European Health and Digital Executive Agency (HaDEA) is now in the process of concluding the signature of the grant agreements.

Subject to the grant agreements signatures, the projects will receive funding to deploy safe, secure, and sustainable high-performance 5G and digital backbone infrastructure, for a total funding amount of up to €260 million.

The 42 projects involve coordinators from 18 different countries and a total of 179 partners.

The projects range from deployment of 5G infrastructure for local communities and along major European transport corridors, to deployment of submarine cables within and to the EU.

The third round of calls for proposals is currently open until 20 February 2024.

Background

The EU's financial contribution comes in the form of grants with different co-financing rates. The CEF Digital programme funds both feasibility studies and deployment projects across the EU.

Under the CEF Digital Programme, €1.6 billion has been made available for grants from the EU’s 2021-2027 budget to co-fund projects in the Europe. CEF Digital is part of the larger Connecting Europe Facility programme, which also funds Energy and Transport infrastructure to promote growth, jobs, inclusiveness, and competitiveness.

Next steps

Following the EU Member States’ positive opinion on 16 October 2023, the Commission has adopted a formal selection decision on the list of selected projects. On this basis, the European Health and Digital Executive Agency (HaDEA) is currently in the process of implementing the signature of the grant agreements with the successful project beneficiaries.

List of selected projects