State aid scheme for the purchase of zero-emission vehicles for road and rail freight transport, maritime and inland waterway transport (Modernisation Fund)

The five calls launched by the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure are open from 14 September 2026 until 16 November 2026. Applications are submitted in the MySMIS 2021 platform. Evaluation takes place between 17 November and 17 December 2026, and, according to the schedule, contracts will be signed on 12–18 May 2027.

The state aid is up to 18 million euro per undertaking. Up to 100% of eligible costs is funded, that is, the price difference between the zero-emission vehicle and a conventional vehicle of the same category. An applicant may purchase at most 10 vehicles under the scheme and may receive pre-financing of up to 40% of the grant.

Battery-electric trucks of categories N2 and N3 (sub-measure 1, 130 million euro), zero-emission rail freight traction units (sub-measure 2, 90 million euro) and electric maritime or inland waterway vessels for passengers and freight (sub-measure 3, 79 million euro). Vehicles must be new. Second-hand vehicles and purchase through leasing are not eligible.

Existing transport operators holding a transport licence or certificate and CAEN code 4920, 4941, 5010, 5020, 5030 or 5040: micro-enterprises, SMEs, large enterprises and newly entering undertakings. Projects in partnership and undertakings in difficulty are not accepted.

For road and rail, the replaced vehicle must have been owned and operated by the applicant throughout 2025. If it is not yet owned, a bilateral promise of sale and purchase authenticated by a notary is accepted, and the new registration certificate is presented before the contract is signed. The old vehicle must be scrapped within 60 days of receipt of the new one.

The eligible cost is the difference between the price of the zero-emission vehicle and the price of a vehicle of the same category that meets EU standards. At least two price offers are submitted for each type. According to the MTI clarifications, the offer for the conventional vehicle and the one for the zero-emission vehicle must come from the same manufacturer.

It depends on the complexity of the project and the documents you already have. The first step is the eligibility analysis, which tells you what needs to be prepared.

We tell you before any contract is signed, and if another suitable programme exists, we point you to it.