CEF Transport 2026: €1.1 billion for projects on the TEN-T network, deadline 6 October

The Connecting Europe Facility – Transport 2026 (CEF-T-2026) calls, managed by the European agency CINEA, have a total budget of €1.1 billion. The money goes to transport infrastructure projects on the trans-European TEN-T network: railways, waterways, ports, military mobility, digitalisation of road transport and infrastructure for alternative fuels. Applications are submitted online by 6 October 2026, 17:00 Brussels time, i.e. 18:00 Romanian time. Public and private entities from the Member States can apply, including public authorities and companies from Romania.

In brief

• Programme: Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) 2021–2027 – Transport strand, CEF-T-2026 calls
• Authority: European Commission, through the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA)
• Beneficiaries: public or private legal entities established in an EU Member State (or in a country associated with the programme, where the call allows it)
• Total budget: €1.1 billion, divided among several thematic calls
• Value per project / intensity: differs from one call to another. For example, under AFIF (alternative fuels) the funding covers a maximum of 30% of the works cost, with no more than €10 million per grant. For military mobility, the maximum is 50%, with no more than €20 million for projects in a single Member State
• Submission period: 18 June – 6 October 2026, 17:00 (Brussels)
• Status: call open, single-stage submission; results are indicatively announced for April 2027

How is the money divided?

According to the official CINEA page, the €1.1 billion budget is divided as follows:

• COREGEN – projects on the core network, rail and inland waterways: €350 million;
• CORECOEN – rail, from the cohesion financial envelope: €260 million;
• MILMOB – military mobility (dual-use civil and military infrastructure): €130 million;
• SUSTMOBGEN – sustainable and multimodal mobility, including sea and inland ports: €200 million;
• SAFEMOBGEN – safe and secure mobility: €20 million;
• SIMOBGEN – smart and interoperable mobility: €20 million;
• AFIFGEN – infrastructure for alternative fuels, road and airports: €130 million.

A project is submitted under a single topic. The same activity cannot be submitted to several calls: proposals that overlap fully or partially are declared ineligible.

Who can apply and what is funded?

Public or private legal entities established in a Member State can apply. Natural persons are not eligible. The exception is people who carry out independent activities and have no separate legal personality, i.e. PFAs (sole traders). Public authorities are exempt from the financial and operational capacity check.

AFIF – charging stations for trucks and electrification of airports. Publicly accessible charging stations dedicated to heavy-duty vehicles are funded. Each station has at least 4 MCS points of at least 1 MW, possibly combined with CCS points of at least 350 kW. The stations must be located on the TEN-T road network or no more than 3 km from an exit, in certified secure parking areas or in TEN-T urban nodes. This also covers the electrification of ground operations at TEN-T airports. Vehicles, land, studies, design and project management are not eligible, nor is the upgrading of existing stations. The project must also have financing from a public or private financial institution, of at least 10% of the project cost. The infrastructure must be operated for at least 5 years after the grant ends.

MILMOB – military mobility. Studies, works or mixed projects are funded for dual-use civil and military infrastructure. Projects must be on the TEN-T and on the EU military mobility network. Priority is given to those on the four priority corridors and those in two or more Member States. The grant is a maximum of €20 million for a project in a single state and a maximum of €40 million for projects in several states.

For both calls, the Commission recommends a requested EU contribution of at least €1 million per project. For the other calls, the conditions and co-financing rates are in each call's document, on the Funding & Tenders portal.

How and by when do you apply?

1. The applicant registers in the Participant Register on the Funding & Tenders portal and receives an identification code.
2. Obtain the Member State's endorsement (the letter of support), a mandatory document at submission. In Romania, MIPE endorses the letter of support only after the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure issues the opportunity opinion.
3. Prepare Part A (completed online), Part B (the technical description, maximum 120 pages) and the mandatory annexes: the budget table by work package, the timetable, the environmental compliance file and, where applicable, the activity reports and the list of previous projects.
4. Submit electronically by 6 October 2026, 17:00 Brussels time. Paper submission is not possible.

The indicative timetable from the call documents: evaluation between October 2026 and March 2027, results in April 2027, signing of contracts in May–June 2027. The evaluation uses five criteria (priority and urgency, maturity, quality, impact, catalytic effect), each scored out of a maximum of 5 points. The minimum threshold is 3 points on each criterion and 15 points in total.

What this means for your business

Our recommendation: if preparation has not yet started, the 6 October deadline is very tight. The main reason is the Member State's endorsement. The Ministry of Transport's opportunity opinion and MIPE's letter of support take time, and without them the application is not complete. It is worth applying now only if you already have a mature project: technical documentation, permits or an advanced environmental stage, and complementary financing identified. Project maturity is also a scoring criterion.

• Charging station operators and logistics companies with sites on the TEN-T corridors: AFIF covers only 30% of the works. The rest must be secured from your own sources or from a loan, and the bank's letter is mandatory.
• Local authorities (UAT) in TEN-T urban nodes, airports and ports stand to gain if they have technical projects prepared, either for the current call or for the next CEF rounds.
• Common pitfall: studies and design are not eligible under AFIF. Do not include them in the budget.

If you do not qualify now, use this call as a model for the next round. For other funding suited to your profile, take the eligibility check.

Frequently asked questions

Can SMEs apply for CEF Transport 2026?

Yes. Private legal entities established in a Member State can apply, including SMEs, if the project falls under one of the topics and is on the TEN-T network. The company also needs the Member State's endorsement and must pass the financial capacity check.

What is the submission deadline?

The deadline is 6 October 2026, 17:00 Brussels time, i.e. 18:00 Romanian time. The application is submitted only electronically, on the European Commission's Funding & Tenders portal.

How much does the EU fund for truck charging stations?

Under the AFIFGEN call, the EU covers a maximum of 30% of the works costs (70% in outermost regions), with no more than €10 million per grant. The recommended requested EU contribution is at least €1 million.

What is the Member State's endorsement and where do I get it in Romania?

It is a letter of support signed by the Member State on whose territory the project is carried out. Without it, the application is not complete. In Romania, the letter is endorsed by the Ministry of Investments and European Projects, after the opportunity opinion of the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure.

When will the results be known?

According to the indicative timetable, the evaluation results are communicated in April 2027, and the funding contracts are signed in May–June 2027.

Official sources

• CINEA – 2026 CEF Transport Calls for proposals
• Call document CEF-T-2026-AFIFGEN (infrastructure for alternative fuels)
• Call document CEF-T-2026-MILMOB (military mobility)
• MIPE – Connecting Europe Facility: the Member State endorsement procedure

Information checked on 26 September 2026. Conditions may be amended by the managing authority — check the guide in force before submitting.