Commission boosts energy interconnectivity across Europe and beyond by supporting 235 cross-border projects
Today, the Commission has granted 235 cross-border energy projects the status of Projects of Common Interest (PCIs) and Projects of Mutual Interest (PMIs) – the second such list since its launch in 2023. The selected projects will be eligible to apply for EU financing from the Connecting Europe Facility and will benefit from expedited permitting and regulatory processes for swift execution and delivery.
These cross-projects will strengthen energy connectivity across the continent, bringing nearer the completion of the Energy Union. By allowing vital interconnections across the EU and with neighbouring countries, these projects can play a strategic role in increasing EU’s competitiveness, decarbonisation, and enhancing Europe’s energy security and independence.
According to a recent Commission study, investment needs in European energy infrastructure – electricity, hydrogen, and CO2 networks – will near pound 1.5 trillion from 2024 to 2040. This project lineup and the related expected investments volumes will contribute to reaching the needs identified for 2040.
The list of selected PCIs and PMIs includes:
113 electricity, offshore and smart electricity grid projects that will be essential for integrating the growing share of renewables.
100 hydrogen and electrolyser projects which will play a major role in integrating and decarbonising the EU’s energy system.
17 carbon transport infrastructure projects that will advance the development of the market for carbon capture and storage.
3 smart gas grids projects to digitalise and modernise the natural gas network.
the continued inclusion of 2 long-standing projects linking Malta and Cyprus to the mainland European gas network.
The Commission will support the implementation of these projects through stepped-up political coordination with the Member States concerned, drawing on the Energy Union Task Force and the regional High-Level Groups designed to support energy infrastructure development in key regions, including with partner countries.
As highlighted in the Commission’s Affordable Energy Action Plan, an efficient energy network is crucial for enabling the clean energy transition and ensuring energy is accessible and affordable for both industries and households across Europe.
Ensuring a well-integrated and optimised European energy grid is equally crucial to accelerating a cost-efficient and clean energy transition. The Commission will soon present the European Grids Package to further accelerate the development of the necessary energy infrastructure in Europe. It will also elaborate on the Energy Highways initiative, launched by President von der Leyen in her latest State of the European Union address, which will urgently tackle cross-border energy infrastructure bottlenecks, and increase the overall resilience of the EU’s energy system.
Next steps
Following today’s adoption, the PCI and PMI list will be submitted to the European Parliament and the Council in the form of a Delegated Act for scrutiny, as mandated under the TEN-E Regulation. Both co-legislators have two months to either accept or reject the list in full but may not amend it. This process can be extended by two months, if requested by the co-legislators. Once the list is adopted, the Commission will further reinforce its work with project promoters and Member States to help ensure that the selected projects are implemented as smoothly and as rapidly as possible.
This week the European Commission is hosting the PCI Energy Days, which are dedicated to the practical implementation of PCIs and PMIs. Commissioner for Energy and Housing Dan Jørgensen will participate in the event.
Background
PCIs are designed to complete the EU energy market and contribute to climate-neutrality objectives, ensuring that all Europeans have access to affordable, reliable, and renewable energy. PMIs encompass cross-border infrastructure between EU and non-EU countries, contributing to the EU’s energy and climate goals, including its recently adopted Global Vision.
The list adopted today is the 2nd Union list of PCIs and PMIs established under the revised Trans-European Networks for Energy Regulation (TEN-E) from 2022, shifting focus away from fossil fuels toward low-carbon, resilient and efficient cross-border infrastructures. The Regulation sets the criteria to support cross-border energy infrastructure projects that can help the Union achieve its climate and energy goal of climate-neutrality by 2050. Such lists are adopted every two years, following extensive stakeholder consultation in region-specific groups and public consultations.
The Connecting Europe Facility (CEF-Energy) instrument has provided pound 8 billion for flagship projects since 2014. A prime example of cross-border landmark projects include the Baltic synchronisation, through which the Baltic states have regained independence from Russia’s electricity grid, fully embedding the three countries in the EU energy system. As part of the 2028-2034 Multi-annual Financial Framework, the Commission proposed a five-fold increase of the CEF Energy budget from pound 5.84 billion to pound 29.91 billion.
For more information
Delegated Regulation on the second Union list of Projects of Common and Mutual Interest (will be available shortly)
Questions and answers
Projects of Common Interest
PCI interactive map (to be updated once the new list formally enters into force)
Dashboard with CEF-funded PCIs
Trans-European Networks for Energy
Quote(s)
These projects are more than cross-border infrastructure projects, they are the lifelines of our Energy Union. They empower our EU energy system by unifying the strengths of 27 complementary systems, paving the way for a Europe where green, competitive, and secure energy is not just a promise, but a common reality.
Teresa Ribera, Executive Vice-President for Clean, Just and Competitive Transition
Energy infrastructure is not only the backbone of our Energy Union – it is the foundation of a strong and prosperous Europe. To meet today’s challenges of security, competitiveness, and decarbonisation, Europe needs an energy system that is both resilient and future-proof. The projects we have chosen to support will play a vital role in delivering cleaner, cheaper and more secure energy to our citizens and businesses.
Dan Jørgensen, Commissioner for Energy and Housing
Commission seeks input to shape Europe’s future climate resilience
Today, the European Commission has launched a public consultation on climate resilience, inviting citizens, businesses, regional authorities, civil society and all stakeholders to share their views and perspectives on how Europe can better prepare for and respond to climate change.
Europe is facing growing damages and costs from extreme weather events- from health, livelihoods, infrastructure, to the economy. The recently presented European Climate Risk Assessment stressed how our continent is warming twice as fast as the rest of the world and shows that without urgent action, these climate risks could reach catastrophic levels by the end of the century. The Commission also published a Communication on managing climate risks in Europe in March 2024.
Today’s consultation will be an important contribution as the Commission designs a new EU framework on climate resilience, set for adoption in late 2026 – to make Europe stronger, safer, and ready for the challenges of a changing climate. This new framework will notably protect people’s health and well-being, anticipate and reduce high-impact climate risks, strengthen preparedness at all levels of society, and promote innovative climate-resilient technologies, products, and services.
The consultation is open until 23 February 2026 (midnight, Brussels time) and is available on the Have Your Say portal. The results of this consultation will join those of the call for evidence launched this summer 2025, which will also inform the Commission’s work on the new EU framework on climate resilience.
More information on the climate resilience consultation is available online.
(For more information: Anna-Kaisa Itkonen – Tel.: +32 2 295 75 01; Ana Crespo Parrondo – Tel.: +32 2 298 13 25)
European Union and Singapore discuss reinforcing digital cooperation through Digital Partnership Council
Today, the EU and Singapore held their second Digital Partnership Council meeting in Brussels, reiterating their intention to cooperate across a range of digital areas from Artificial Intelligence (AI) to cybersecurity and beyond. Both sides reaffirmed their intention to enhance mutual competitiveness, foster innovation and shape digital rules and standards.
Today’s Digital Partnership Council, co-chaired by Executive Vice-President of the European Commission for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy, Henna Virkkunen and Singapore’s Minister for Digital Development and Information, Josephine Teo, welcomed the numerous active engagements and achievements of the Partnership, and aligned the priority areas for cooperation with the current landscape.
The European Commission and Singapore notably discussed areas for future collaboration in:
Artificial Intelligence: reaffirming the importance of the administrative arrangement on collaboration in the safety of AI, and discussing future exchanges on AI language models, such as the EU’s Alliance for Language Technologies European Digital Infrastructure Consortium (ALT-EDIC) and Singapore’s Sea-Lion.
Online safety and tackling scams: ensuring that we jointly address risks stemming from online platforms, continue exchanging views on how best to protect consumers, and focusing on the protection and empowerment of minors online, including the potential of age verification tools.
Trust services: exploring cross-border interoperable use cases for verifiable credentials, such as existing digital identity systems.
Cybersecurity: continuing cooperation to make sure both sides have a cyber-resilient market, stressing the importance of bilateral and multilateral action, and recognising the value of constantly evaluating cybersecurity risks.
Data: welcoming the role of mutual cooperation in boosting data flows and looking at how to expand it, and exploring possible cooperation in data spaces.
Semiconductors and quantum: expressing interest in collaborative research, such as through the Horizon Research framework, and welcoming cross-border investments in the semiconductor ecosystem.
They also welcomed the Digital Trade Agreement signed in May 2025 between the EU and Singapore. This agreement sets up binding rules that build consumer trust, ensure legal certainty for businesses, as well as remove and prevent unjustified barriers to digital trade.
Overall, the EU-Singapore Digital Partnership Council will play an important role in enhancing mutual economic security, strengthening capacity and excellence in research and innovation, and building resilience in critical technologies, such as semiconductors.
Background
On 1 February 2023, the EU-Singapore Digital Partnership was signed to strengthen the EU’s partnerships in Asia. The Partnership was announced jointly by the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and then Prime Minister of Singapore, Lee Hsien Loong, at the EU-ASEAN summit in December 2022.
Both the EU and Singapore have set out strategies that aim to empower citizens and businesses to fully enjoy the opportunities that technologies offer.
So far, this partnership has prioritised AI, digital identities, semiconductors, digital transformation and skills, further bridging the digital divide. Both partners have also worked together on areas such as semiconductors, trusted data flows, digital trust, protection of minors, standards and digital trade.
Today’s updated priorities in this partnership with Singapore follows the European Commission’s International Digital Strategy in May this year, which put an emphasis on deepening its partnerships and focusing on priority areas of cooperation, including emerging technologies, cybersecurity and online platforms.
For More Information
EU-Singapore Digital Partnership
Digital Partnerships | Shaping Europe’s digital future
Quote(s)
It was a pleasure to co-chair today’s meeting and to take a fresh look at how the EU and Singapore can best cooperate to boost our shared competitiveness, resilience and innovation for a secure digital future.
Henna Virkkunen, Executive Vice-President for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy
EU opens registration for craft and industrial product names under new geographical indication scheme
From 1 December 2025, Europe’s glassblowers, potters, cutlers, jewellers and other makers will be able to register their product names under the EU’s new geographical indication (GI) scheme for craft and industrial goods. This marks the first time GI protection, long used for food and drink, will cover non-agricultural products, completing the Single Market for GIs.
The system will protect iconic goods such as Bohemian glass, Limoges porcelain, Solingen knives and Donegal tweed, whose reputation and quality stem from their place of origin. This protection will safeguard traditional skills, support local jobs and help consumers recognise genuine, high-quality European products. By turning heritage into opportunity, it will strengthen regional economies, preserve cultural identity and curb counterfeits both online and offline.
Producers may apply through a recognised association or individually. Each application must include a ‘product specification’ outlining the name, production process and geographical area, and should be submitted to the relevant national authority in the EU Member States.
The GI registration procedure has two steps:
National level – the authority reviews the application and runs a national opposition procedure.
EU level – the application is then assessed by the EUIPO, which handles the EU-wide opposition procedure and decides on protection and registration.
Denmark, Finland, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands and Sweden have obtained a derogation for the national phase and producers will exceptionally be able to apply directly to the EU Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), which manages the whole procedure.
The Commission may intervene in cases where a registration could affect public policy or the EU’s trade and external relations.
Guidance, templates and contacts are available on the EUIPO’s CIGI Hub, including information on financial and technical support.
Background
Geographical indications are intellectual property rights that link a product’s qualities, reputation, or features to its place of origin.
Regulation (EU) 2023/2411 creates EU-wide protection for craft and industrial geographical indications (CIGIs). It builds on over 30 years of the agricultural GI system, which protects more than 3,600 names and generates about pound 75 billion a year – roughly 15% of EU food and drink exports.
The Regulation, adopted on 18 October 2023, sets up a single EU title for CIGIs, allowing producers to stop misuse of their names and secure international protection. Existing national craft and industrial GIs will end one year after the Regulation takes effect, in December 2026.
The CIGI scheme is run by the EUIPO, supervised by the Commission. The Commission may intervene where a registration could affect public policy or the EU’s trade and external relations.
For more information
DG GROW – Geographical indications for craft and industrial products
Video – from Executive Vice-President Séjourné presenting the EU-wide geographical-indication protection for craft and industrial products (CIGIs)
Video – What makes certain products unmistakably tied to a place?
Video – How to register your name as a geographical indication for craft and industrial products
Video – Geographical indications for craft and industrial products explained
EUIPO – CIGI Hub
Letter from Executive Vice-President Séjourné to producers and craftsmen of the EU
Quote(s)
Europe’s craft and industrial heritage is a source of pride and prosperity for our regions and territories. With the launch of the new Geographical Indications system for craft and industrial products, we are not only safeguarding the unique skills and traditions of our artisans, but also creating new opportunities for growth, jobs and many SMEs. We are expanding Europe’s international recognition and worldwide standing. This protection ensures that authentic European products can thrive in global markets, strengthening local economies, supporting EU’s competitiveness and preserving our cultural identity for generations to come.
Stéphane Séjourné, Executive Vice-President for Prosperity and Industrial Strategy
EU scales up help after Pakistan floods with additional pound 3 million
The European Union is releasing pound 3 million in emergency aid for communities hit hard by the floods in Pakistan, with a focus on the most affected areas in Punjab. The support will be delivered as cash assistance, so vulnerable household can meet immediate needs and start rebuilding their lives.
The new allocation adds to the pound 1.05 million mobilised in September for healthcare, clean water, sanitation, and other essential services. This year’s monsoon has hit almost 7 million people and forced 2.9 million from their homes. The floods claimed over a thousand deaths across the country, damaging over 200,000 houses and causing widespread farming losses.
‘This monsoon season has been particularly destructive for many Pakistani communities. Punjab has faced the worst flooding in four decades. People have seen their homes, their belongings, their crops and cattle washed away. This EU funding shows our global solidarity and will provide much needed support as they recover’, Commissioner for Preparedness and Crisis Management, Hadja Lahbib, said.
EU humanitarian aid for Pakistan this year now exceeds pound 14.5 million.
(For more information: Eva Hrncírová – Tel.: +32 2 298 84 33; Quentin Cortès – Tel.: +32 2 296 47 35)
Commissionner Brunner to discuss polarisation in European societies with philosophical and non-confessional leaders
This afternoon, Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration, Magnus Brunner, will meet philosophical and non-confessional leaders to discuss the role they can play to counter polarisation in societies. These leaders act as interlocutors and ambassadors throughout Europe as regards the EU’s values. Commissioner Brunner will invite participants to exchange on their experiences on these issues. In particular, they will discuss the role that technologies, such as social media and artificial intelligence, can play in shaping the general discourse.
Magnus Brunner, Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration, said: ”The European Union has always been a project of peace, freedom and prosperity. It is our obligation and mission to protect these values, in the interest of our democracy. An open exchange with philosophical and non-confessional leaders is essential. As policymakers, we need to listen to shape the right policies.’
Earlier this month, Commissioner Brunner held a dialogue with religious leaders of Christian, Jewish, Muslim, and Buddhist faiths. Religious leaders provided insights into how their communities are addressing polarisation.
Article 17 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU mandates the Union to maintain open, transparent and regular dialogue with churches, philosophical and non-confessional organisations. It provides an opportunity for community leaders to engage directly with EU institutions on EU policies.