Facts & context
Sub-topic

The EU budget is crucial to translate EU Members States’ political priorities into concrete programmes and activities. The European Union forecasts its budget for periods of seven years under the so-called ‘Multiannual Financial Framework’ (MFF).

Since the Covid-19 crisis, the MFF and its related financial instruments are complemented by a Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) to alleviate the impact of the pandemic on national economies, which will end in mid-2026. 

The Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) is part of the MFF and the main funding instrument for rail infrastructure projects in Europe. It provides the financial support for the completion of the TEN-T Network. 

In 2025, the EC proposed a major reform of the MFF, consisting of a large, centralised fund on competition and decentralised national and regional partnership plans. Both pillars would be complemented by other individual funds, such as Horizon Europe for research or the next Connecting Europe Facility. The new MFF will take effect in 2028 and cover a programming period of 7 years. 

Between 2025 and 2026, the Council will negotiate the contents and the budget of the next MFF. 

EIM continued to inform its members about the current MFF and CEF, including calls under the general envelope and the military mobility budget.

EIM in action (involvement and goals)
Sub-topic

• EIM advocates increased EU funding for rail infrastructure managers to meet the increasing standards of the TEN-T Network, support military mobility and the development of the future rail capacity management system. 
• EIM maintains a constructive dialogue with the EU regarding the transport budget in general and the rail infrastructure budget in particular. 
• EIM highlights the importance of financial support for digital rail infrastructure, in particular ERTMS but also 5G as well as innovation through the Joint Undertaking for Research and Innovation, “Europe’s Rail”.