Brussels, December 4 (TASR) – Slovakia intends to seek European Union (EU) funding for infrastructure development through the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) and military mobility options in the upcoming long-term EU budget post-2027. This was stated by Denisa Žiláková, the State Secretary of the Slovak Ministry of Transport, during a meeting of the EU Council for Transport and Energy in Brussels, as reported by TASR.
Denisa Žiláková highlighted that the European Commission (EC) unveiled a new EU financial framework for 2028 – 2034 at the Council of Ministers meeting, which allocates double the funds for the Connecting Europe Facility compared to the current period. She noted that military mobility will also receive a tenfold increase in funding as proposed by the European Commission.
When asked by TASR if Slovakia plans to use this funding to repair critical bridges, Žiláková acknowledged that detailed planning is not yet feasible, as military mobility and other uses of this funding have only been outlined generally so far.
“The eligible expenditures will be defined over the coming years, but since military mobility is central to the CEF, I believe that bridges should definitely be included. Armored vehicles and transporters utilize bridges, making this an eligible activity we will advocate for,” she elaborated.
She also noted an intriguing proposal from the EC regarding an action plan for high-speed railways, which received ministerial support and is set to be shared with the public. Although Slovakia lacks such railway infrastructure, she views the EC’s action plan favorably for Slovakia, as it would connect with a railway network allowing trains to operate at speeds exceeding 200 kilometers per hour.
“The Commission outlined milestones and potential funding sources for the construction of this high-speed railway across Europe. This is vital for us as it would link our country to the V4 states and Austria,” Žiláková stated. She also appreciated the EU’s proposal for simplifying public transport, including the introduction of a unified travel ticket to standardize payments and ticketing systems.
“We are very pleased with this proposal, and it was unanimously adopted,” she mentioned regarding the atmosphere of discussions in Brussels. (December 4)
“Infrastructure projects will be able to be built from the Connecting Europe Facility. For us, these are certainly motorways, roads and railways.” Denisa Žiláková
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