The agreement has been signed by the Commissioner for Transport Adina Vălean and Deputy Prime Minister for Restoration of Ukraine and Minister for Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development Oleksandr Kubrakov.

This agreement will enable Ukrainian project promoters to apply for EU funding for projects of common interest in the transport, energy and digital realms, improving the country's connectivity with its EU neighbours. It will promote growth, jobs and competitiveness, bringing Ukraine closer to the EU by anchoring the country in these interconnected trans-European networks, and supporting its integration within the EU Single Market.

In general, the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) can be described as the key EU funding instrument to promote growth, jobs and competitiveness through targeted infrastructure investment at European level. It supports the development of high performing, sustainable and efficiently interconnected trans-European networks in the fields of transport, energy and digital services.

Thanks to this agreement, Ukraine will be able to access EU funding in all three sectors:

Transports. Ukrainian authorities and companies will be able to apply for future CEF transport calls in the current (2021-2027) programming period. Priority is given to actions that strengthen connectivity between the core network of Member States and the network in third countries. The next call will be launched in September 2023.

Click here for the eligibility criteria for third countries.

Energy. Ukrainian infrastructure projects linked with EU Member States must apply for and get the status of Projects of Mutual Interest (PMI) as a prerequisite to be eligible for CEF-Energy funding. The PMI status provides streamlined permitting procedures and better access to finance for projects connecting third countries with the EU.

In any case, in November 2023, the Commission will publish the next Union list of Projects of Common Interest (PCIs) and, for the first time, PMIs with third countries.

Digital. The access to CEF Digital funding is designed to be in line with the Global Gateway strategy, as well as for the development of safe, secure and sustainable high-performance infrastructure, including Gigabit and fifth-generation of mobile (5G) networks. CEF Digital calls will allow Ukrainian project promoters to increase the capacity, security, and resilience of digital connectivity between Ukraine and its EU neighbours.