Over the past 20 years, the EU has invested substantially in infrastructure to make Europe a better place to live and work – from highways to pipelines, public transport, connectivity, data centres and cross-border infrastructure.
Europe’s transport connections have extended and improved, linking all parts of the continent. For instance, Slovenia now has an expanded electrified train network, while EU investments have also contributed to the development of metro lines in Hungary. Many more projects are in the pipeline – Rail Baltica, for example, will connect the Baltic states to the rest of Europe, and it will enhance links between Finland and other countries in the EU.
Our integrated energy market – with interconnected electricity grids between Malta and Italy, and gas connections linking Denmark and Poland, among others – has helped us to weather crises, for instance when Russia cut gas deliveries. EU countries have worked together to source more secure and sustainable energy supplies, driving the clean energy transition and reducing our dependence on Russian fossil fuels.
With substantial EU investments, coverage of high-speed broadband networks and internet access have surged across the EU. Digital leaders such as Estonia, are helping to pioneer e-government services. In all parts of Europe, millions of people have gained access to the 5G network. Moreover, all EU citizens have benefitted from the removal of mobile roaming charges, avoiding extra costs for calls or texts made while travelling across 27 Member States. And EU investment is helping to further improve connectivity and network resilience – for instance, through the new fibre-optic route linking Sweden and Finland to the Baltic countries.
Today, we are taking things further with NextGenerationEU. Worth over €800 billion, it is funding hundreds of projects, from offshore wind farms to electric trains, from top-notch digital services to world-class medical centres, creating quality jobs – in all 27 Member States.
And as the strategic environment around us continues to change and Europe needs to step up on defence, all Member States are taking part in the effort – from Estonian defence research to Swedish aircraft development and Polish ammunition production.
Facts and figures
- With the support of EU cohesion policy funding and the Connecting Europe Facility, Europe’s transport network has transformed and expanded. Motorway lengths have tripled in Poland, Hungary and Slovakia in the last two decades. Since 2004, Lithuania’s rail network has expanded by 200 kilometres.
- In the last 20 years, the EU has succeeded in improving the energy efficiency of its economy. As a whole, the EU has reduced the energy intensity of its economy by almost 33%. The 10 Member States have done even better, reducing the energy intensity of their economies by over 40%.
