Energy: EU invests €150 million in energy infrastructure

Today Member States agreed on the Commission’s proposal to allocate €150 million to key trans-European energy infrastructure projects. The bulk of the support will go to projects in Central Eastern and South Eastern Europe as well as to projects in the Baltic region. In total, 20 projects were selected following a call for proposals under the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF), an EU funding programme for infrastructure. The selected projects will increase energy security and help end the isolation of Member States from EU-wide energy networks. They will also contribute to the completion of a European energy market and the integration of renewable energy sources into the electricity grid. On the occasion, European Commissioner for Climate Action and Energy Miguel Arias Cañete said: “The completion of a truly competitive EU-wide energy market is essential in order to turn the Energy Union into a reality. But without reliable and well-connected energy networks this will not happen. This is why we are investing in projects to integrate the market further and to diversify sources and routes, in particular in Central Eastern and South Eastern Europe as well as in the Baltic region.” The press release is available online.