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DRAFT OPINION (COM(2025)0555 – C100165/2025 – 2025/0555(COD))

On the Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on establishing the European Competitiveness Fund ('ECF’), including the specific programme for defence research and innovation activities, repealing Regulations (EU) 2021/522, (EU) 2021/694, (EU) 2021/697, (EU) 2021/783, and amending Regulations (EU) 2021/696, (EU) 2023/588, (EU) [EDIP]

TRAN-PA-785205

Committee on Transport and Tourism · Rapporteur: Sérgio Gonçalves

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The Committee on Transport and Tourism's draft opinion responds to the proposed regulation establishing the European Competitiveness Fund (ECF), including a defence research and innovation programme. The rapporteur welcomes the ECF's aim to strengthen competitiveness and stresses the Clean Transition and Industrial Decarbonisation window for decarbonising transport. The draft opinion proposes amendments to give Parliament a stronger role in governance, replace the open list of fundable activities with a detailed closed list, and focus on renewable energy, batteries, zero-emission mobility and public transport. It also seeks to reinforce regions and local authorities in the Fund's boards, ensure funding for territorial industrial decarbonisation and a just transition, and improve coordination with other funding instruments. The amendments raise the ECF's financial envelope and the amount for clean transition and industrial decarbonisation, and add new rules on eligibility, work programmes and investment guidelines.

Committee position. The rapporteur proposes to amend the Commission's proposal to strengthen Parliament's role in ECF governance, replace the open list of activities with a closed list, focus on renewable energy, batteries, zero-emission mobility and public transport, reinforce regions and local authorities, and improve coordination with other funding instruments.

Key points

  1. The rapporteur wants the ECF to invest in renewable energy, batteries, zero-emission road and rail mobility, and automated public transport, guided by a European preference principle.
  2. The draft opinion proposes a closed list of activities for the Clean Transition and Industrial Decarbonisation window instead of the Commission's open list.
  3. It calls for regions and local authorities to have a stronger role in the ECF's Governance and Advisory Boards and for funding to support the territorial dimension of industrial decarbonisation and a just transition.
  4. It stresses synergies between the ECF, the National and Regional Partnership Plans and the Connecting Europe Facility so transport objectives are implemented coherently.
  5. Amendment 1 adds to Recital 8 that competitiveness efforts must be interlinked with cohesion and that transport infrastructure investment removes barriers to movement of people and businesses.
  6. Amendment 2 adds that the small scale of outermost regions' economies makes it hard to attract private investment, so they need special attention to access funding.
  7. Amendment 3 adds the Connecting Europe Facility and National and Regional Partnership Plans regulations to the instruments the ECF must ensure coherence with.
  8. Amendment 6 introduces a new recital stating the ECF should reduce external dependencies on critical raw materials and fossil fuels and help phase out fossil fuel imports and harmful subsidies.
  9. Amendment 13 defines 'competitiveness' as the Union's capacity to raise productivity, bolster strategic autonomy and independence, and ensure resilience, innovation, sustainable growth and quality jobs.
  10. Amendments 20 and 21 raise the ECF's indicative financial envelope to EUR 264 300 000 000 and the amount for Article 3(2)(a) objectives to EUR 31 210 000 000.
  11. Amendment 25 requires the ECF to be implemented in synergy with the Connecting Europe Facility for co-financing the trans-European transport network and its decarbonisation, modal shift, resilience and competitiveness objectives.
  12. Amendments 36 to 45 add activities under the Clean Transition and Industrial Decarbonisation window, including battery technologies, renewable fuels of non-biological origin, zero-emission transport, interoperable public transport, and place-based innovation ecosystems.

Who is affected

  • The EU transport sector, which would benefit from ECF funding for decarbonisation, zero-emission mobility and public transport.
  • Regions and local authorities, which would gain a stronger role in the Fund's boards and in territorial decarbonisation and just transition funding.
  • Small and medium-sized enterprises and mid-cap companies, start-ups and scale-ups, which would receive coaching and acceleration services to access ECF funding.
  • The EU outermost regions and overseas countries and territories, which would receive special attention to access funding for local competitiveness and climate goals.
  • The defence industry and space sector, which would be supported under the ECF's specific programme for defence research and innovation.

Figures and deadlines

  • EUR 264 300 000 000: the indicative financial envelope for the ECF from 1 January 2028 to 31 December 2034.
  • EUR 31 210 000 000: the amount for the specific objectives referred to in Article 3(2), point (a).
  • Four years, renewable once: the term of members of the ECF Strategic Stakeholders Board.
  • Up to 20% of that amount: the maximum adjustment of the budgetary guarantee by delegated acts.