The European Commission will hold on 2 October 2012 a Conference on the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF), where representatives from EU institutions and Member States will discuss the CEF.
The CEF aims to finance priority projects of common interest for the EU in the area of transport, energy and telecommunications/ICT. In October 2011, the Commission decided to dedicate EUR 50 billion to the initiative, including EUR 9.1 billion for energy projects (press release IP/11/1200). The CEF is an instrument directly financed by the EU budget (EU's Multiannual Financial Framework 2014-2020, presentaed on 29 June 2011) and defined in the proposal for a regulation establishing the CFI (COM(2011) 665, of 19.10.2011). Further on, private sector initiatives piloted by the EU could also be envisaged under "EU project bonds".
These targeted investments are based on a list of priority projects, so-called Projects of Common Interests (CPI). The list of CPI that will be eligible to the first grant under the CEF (to be adopted in July 2013 by the Commission) is currently under public hearing (deadline for consultation is 1 October 2012). The list of energy projects subject to hearing covers electricity, gas and oil. CO2 transport infrastructures are also encompassed by the CEF, but no list of CPI is currently under hearing for the moment. Project carrier must notify their projects to appear on the list. The criteria for eligibility of the projects on the CPI-list are defined in the proposal for Regulation on guidelines for trans-European energy infrastructure (repealing Decision No 1364/2006/EC) (COM(2011) 0658 final) which also defines fast-track procedures for the administrative approval of the eligible CPI-infrastructures. It must be here underlined that the proposal of legislative act on the guidelines is a regulation, which is directly applicable to the Member States.
Both proposals for regulation (CEF and guidelines) are currently under negotiations subject to the ordinary legislative procedure. The agenda is also influenced by the ending negotiations on the future EU budget for 2013, and the forthcoming European Council of 22-23 November 2012 dedicated to the Multiannual Financial Framework.
References: website of the conference here. The event will also be live streamed on EbS.
Comments