EU invests 865 million euros in digital infrastructure

The EU is investing 865 million euros in digital infrastructure. The EU Commission announced on Wednesday that, under the umbrella of Connecting Europe (CEF) Digital, connection infrastructures in particular are to be improved by 2027. Specifically, the money will be used to build and expand 5G connections in Europe, modernize backbone networks and reduce energy consumption at the same time. With the work program, the EU is holding out the prospect of co-financing large-scale projects that promote the introduction of gigabit infrastructures and independent 5G infrastructures. The EU also wants to use the pot to finance the integration of edge cloud and computing capacities in sectors such as healthcare, manufacturing, transport and logistics.

The projects are intended to bring the EU closer to the Digital Decade 2030. By then, every citizen and company should be connected to 5G and gigabit systems. "By supporting public and private investment, CEF Digital contributes to connectivity projects of common EU interest and to the deployment of reliable, secure and sustainable high-capacity infrastructures such as gigabit and 5G networks across the EU," explains the Commission.

Submarine cables to become more resilient

Another project is to modernize backbone networks. This includes quantum communication networks and submarine cables, which are to be more powerful and resilient in future. The EU also wants to improve the capacity of the networks installed within the member states, as well as those that connect the EU with third countries.

The third major investment point mentioned by the Commission is the plan to introduce operational digital platforms for transport and energy infrastructures. The purpose of the platforms is to optimize the energy consumption of information and communication technology (ICT) and reduce the environmental impact. "These operational digital platforms will build on existing and emerging European data, cloud and edge computing and connectivity infrastructures," explained the Commission. There will also be a link to others funded by the Digital Europe and Horizon Europe programs.

The EU hopes that this work program will make it more digitally competitive. A paper on the critical geopolitical and geo-economic challenges had previously been published. The EU wants to address the investment gap that is preventing the development of high-performance networks by mobilizing public and private funds.

Collecting proposals

Next, the Commission will collect proposals as part of the "Digital Europe" program. "Interested stakeholders can also participate in post-publication information days to learn more about the priorities and main aspects of the calls as well as the evaluation and award procedures."

So far, the Connecting Europe Digital Program has funded 65 projects. These include 30 backbone connectivity projects for the Digital Global Gateways, 17 projects to promote 5G for smart communities and 18 projects in the field of cross-border 5G connectivity. Up to two billion euros are to be invested in connectivity infrastructure by 2027.

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