The European Commission has opened two new Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) calls today worth €200 million for projects in high-capacity networks, including submarine cables. These investments are in line with the goals of the EU Action Plan on Cable Security and will help ensure secure and resilient connectivity across the European Union and beyond.
The first call allocates €180 million for deploying or significantly upgrading backbone networks, improving the security, capacity and resilience of the EU’s digital infrastructure. The call focuses on the 13 Cable Projects of European Interest, identified as priority areas in the Report on Security and Resilience of EU Submarine Cable Infrastructures.
The second call allocates €20 million to projects delivering smart upgrades to digital infrastructure, enabling real-time monitoring to protect critical infrastructure. These upgrades support situational awareness by collecting environmental or incident data. This will enhance early warning systems, improving seismic or tsunami activity detection, and monitoring the impacts of climate change.
These investments demonstrate the EU’s commitment to secure, future-proof digital networks that reinforce economic and strategic resilience. CEF Digital is a key funding instrument for enhancing the security of critical submarine cable infrastructure and countering intentional damage and sabotage.
Interested applicants must submit their proposals by 30 June 2026.
