Joint letter to EU Heads of Government on transport funding in the MFF 2028-34
Europe’s transport sector urges the EU Member States to restore and strengthen EU investment in transport. The Irish Presidency's negotiating box cuts the overall budget by 8% compared with the Commission's proposal. Transport is hit harder: the transport envelope of the Connecting Europe Facility falls by 11%, from €45.8 billion to €40.6 billion (2025 prices).
Political compromises must not come at the expense of transport investment.
Investing in transport means investing in the whole European economy and society. Some 1.4 million transport companies employ 10.4 million people and generate 4.8% of EU value added, and every other industry depends on their networks to reach its markets. Commission's studies show that completing the TEN-T core network would add 1.8% to EU GDP and create 10 million jobs by 2030.
Efficient and resilient transport networks contribute directly to Europe's energy security, particularly in times of supply disruptions. At the same time, Europe's transport infrastructure, including railways, roads, ports, airports and inland waterways, is essential for military mobility, ensuring the rapid movement of troops, equipment and critical supplies across the continent.
Yet after this cut, the Connecting Europe Facility would devote just 2.5% of the EU budget to transport, and less than €4 billion a year (2025 prices) to civilian transport across 27 Member States. Every euro removed means missing links left unbuilt and the TEN-T deadlines of 2030 and 2040 missed. You endorsed the Draghi diagnosis; you cannot now defund the investment it calls for.
We therefore call on you to:
- Restore the transport envelope of the Connecting Europe Facility at least to the level proposed by the Commission.
- Ring-fence a minimum share for transport in the National and Regional Partnership Plans, so that TEN-T sections are not crowded out by short-term priorities.
- Open the European Competitiveness Fund explicitly to transport, as a complement to dedicated infrastructure funding, never a substitute for it.
The choices made in the coming weeks will shape Europe's networks until 2034 and beyond. Competitiveness, decarbonisation and defense will be built on infrastructure, or not at all. We count on your personal leadership.
