The European Sea Ports Organisation (ESPO) has called on European Union member states to maintain transport funding in the next 2028–2034 Multiannual Financial Framework. The request comes ahead of the European Council meeting taking place on 15 and 16 October in Brussels, where heads of state and government will address, among other issues, the shape of the EU budget for the next seven years.
The port organisation is taking part, together with representatives from other areas of European transport, in a joint letter addressed to the leaders of the member states, calling for budget negotiations not to result in reduced resources for the continent’s infrastructure and connectivity.
The initiative reflects the sector’s concern about the consequences budget adjustments could have for the investment needed to modernise transport networks and adapt their infrastructure to the EU’s economic, environmental and geopolitical requirements.
ESPO Secretary General Isabelle Ryckbost has noted that, although member states have different priorities in the negotiations, ranging from economic competitiveness to territorial cohesion and resilience, transport funding contributes to all these objectives.
According to the organisation’s representative, having a connected and modernised transport network is essential to facilitate the functioning of supply chains, improve connections between markets and territories, and reduce vulnerabilities in the European economy.
Ryckbost has argued that European policymakers should maintain and increase the resources allocated to transport, taking into account its role in the single market and in economic relations between the various member states.
The sector’s joint request is based on three budget proposals. The first is to restore the funding allocated to transport under the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF), the EU infrastructure funding instrument that includes investment in the trans-European networks.
The second proposal calls for reserving a minimum share of funding for transport in future National and Regional Partnership Plans, with the aim of ensuring these investments have dedicated resources within the new budget mechanisms.
The third request concerns the European Competitiveness Fund, which the signatory organisations consider should explicitly include transport as an area eligible for funding. However, they stress that this instrument should complement, not replace, programmes specifically dedicated to infrastructure.
ESPO maintains that the European transport sector has considerable investment needs, both to upgrade infrastructure technologically and to respond to changes in logistics chains and new connectivity requirements.
The organisation also links this investment to the European Union’s ability to respond to international uncertainty. In this regard, it considers that an integrated transport network adapted to current needs has implications not only for trade and economic activity, but also for military mobility and Europe’s preparedness for possible geopolitical crises.
The ESPO Secretary General has noted that the scale of the resources the sector currently needs should be assessed in light of its contribution to EU strategic priorities and its role in the functioning of markets and supply chains.
The new joint letter follows another open communication sent by the transport sector to the European institutions earlier this year, which had already raised the need to secure dedicated funding for infrastructure within the EU budget.
The signatory organisations are calling for these demands to be taken into account during negotiations on the 2028–2034 Multiannual Financial Framework, whose contents will determine the resources available for EU transport and infrastructure policies during that period.
