Public consultation on CEF2 Digital funding programme

The European Commission's DG CONNECT is launching a public consultation to gather the views of stakeholders on the priority areas for EU digital infrastructure investments and the best ways to address existing connectivity needs with Connecting Europe Facility support.

The Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) is a funding programme that supports trans-European networks and infrastructures in the sectors of transport, telecommunications and energy. CEF will enter its second generation in 2021, for the seven-year period of 2021-2027 with a budget of €3 billion.

An EU-wide, very high capacity, secure and resilient digital connectivity infrastructure is the basis for a fully functional Digital Single Market, accessible to all EU citizens, as well as for the deployment of the next generation of digital services.

The European Commission is seeking inputs from industry, academic institutions and the public sector, in order to orientate and align its investment priorities that should be supported with priority by CEF2 DIGITAL in particular:

1. Cross-border 5G corridors along transport routes

2. Connectivity for 5G smart communities in Europe

3. Backbone networks of strategic importance (Terabit connectivity to HPC/ EU cloud federation / Submarine cables)

3.1 Terabit connectivity for High Performance Computing (HPC)
3.2 Energy efficient inter-connections of an EU cloud infrastructure federation
3.3 Submarine cables of strategic importance

4. Synergy actions (Transport – Energy – Digital)

4.1 Operational Digital Platforms
4.2 Cross-sector programmes

Alongside a study and meetings with stakeholders, the results of this consultation will feed into the concrete funding proposals that the Commission will make.