The ECB’s Directorate General Market Infrastructure and Payments is responsible for the euro payment, securities settlement and collateral management systems, collectively referred to as “TARGET services”. Its tasks include overseeing the financial market infrastructure and payment instruments in the euro area, thereby contributing to the smooth functioning of financial markets. It also works with the […]
The EU is studying the investment needed to improve trade routes between Europe and Central Asia via the Caucasus.
The Trans-Caspian Corridor, a rail and port route connecting Europe, Turkey, the rest of the Black Sea region, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Central Asia, is becoming an alternative trade route linking the two continents. Since 2022, trade on this route has quadrupled and, with the right investments, could triple by 2030. To help turn this momentum […]
The EU invests €650 million in cross-border energy infrastructure
The European Commission will allocate around €650 million in grants from the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) to help finance fourteen cross-border energy infrastructure projects. These projects will play a key role in strengthening the EU’s energy security, increasing the integration of renewable energies and, consequently, Europe’s competitiveness. As highlighted in the recently adopted European electricity […]
Commission boosts energy interconnectivity across Europe
Last December 1, the Commission has granted 235 cross-border energy projects the status of Projects of Common Interest (PCIs) and Projects of Mutual Interest (PMIs) – the second such list since its launch in 2023. The selected projects will be eligible to apply for EU financing from the Connecting Europe Facility and will benefit from expedited permitting and regulatory […]
Commission launches strategy to make Europe Quantum leader by 2030
Last July 2, the European Commission has put forward the Quantum Strategy to make Europe a global leader in quantum by 2030. The Strategy will foster a resilient, sovereign quantum ecosystem that fuels startup growth and transforms breakthrough science into market-ready applications, while maintaining Europe’s scientific leadership. Quantum technologies will revolutionise addressing complex challenges, from pharmaceutical […]
EU invests over 1.2 billion EUR in cross-border energy infrastructure to strengthen the Energy Union
The Commission will allocate almost €1.25 billion in grants from the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) to 41 cross-border energy infrastructure projects, which have obtained the status of Projects of Common Interest and Projects of Mutual Interest (PCIs and PMIs) in 2024 under the Trans-European Networks for Energy (TEN-E) policy framework. This is the largest call for proposals under the current CEF Energy programme, both in terms of […]
Tabletop exercise and new study focus on protecting critical energy infrastructure
What should the European Union and its Member States do if its energy production and transport infrastructure were attacked by hostile groups in a region where like-minded, democratic countries coexisted with unfriendly authoritarian regimes? What if vulnerable critical energy infrastructure was essential for defence? As the European Defence Agency contributes to EU security, EDA organised […]
European Commission signs agreement with ICO to invest €150 million in sustainable infrastructure in Spain
The European Commission and the Instituto de Crédito Oficial (ICO) signed an agreement under the InvestEU guarantee scheme for up to €75 million. The guarantee package will help leverage ICO funding of up to €150 million to invest in sustainable infrastructure in Spain and other Member States. This public investment is expected to mobilise an […]
How does self-healing concrete work?
EU policies are increasingly geared towards a more circular economy, driven by more sustainable materials, technologies, practices and behaviour. Efforts to decrease needless waste often cite the ‘five Rs’ – refuse, reduce, reuse (or repair), repurpose and recycle – as a means to achieve this. Currently, fixing damage or deterioration to physical infrastructure, such as […]