Mid-term evaluation of the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF)

Public authorities, Member State authorities, private organisations, non-governmental organisations, consultancies, other relevant stakeholders, including citizens (inside and outside the EU), academics, think tanks, NGOs, industry business, public authorities, private sector bodies and professionals.

Objective of the consultation

The objective of the consultation is to collect views and suggestions from stakeholders, including citizens, for the purposes of the current mid-term evaluation of the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) Programme. The CEF is an European programme aimed at supporting the development of high-performing, sustainable and efficiently interconnected trans-European networks in the field of energy, telecommunications and transport over the period 2014-2020.

The general objectives of the mid-term evaluation are to report on the progress in achieving the objectives of the programme, the efficiency of the use of resources, and its European added value. The European added value is additional to the value created by European actions compared to those of individual Member States. It may result from different factors, e.g. coordination gains, legal certainty, greater effectiveness or complementarities. The evaluation will also address the scope for simplification, the coherence of the measures, the continued relevance of all objectives and their contribution to the Union priorities of smart, sustainable and inclusive growth, including their impact on economic, social and territorial cohesion. Territorial cohesion refers to the balanced distribution of economic and social resources among the European regions. Economic and social cohesion refers to balanced development, which aims to reduce structural disparities between regions and countries and to promote equal opportunities for all individuals.

Considering the short operating timeframe of the CEF, this mid-term evaluation will focus mostly on whether the necessary conditions are in place to allow the programme meet is strategy and achieve its objectives. The evaluation will therefore be on the CEF as a delivery instrument rather than evaluate the actual achievement of policy objectives.

For more information about the mid-term evaluation, see the roadmap http://ec.europa.eu/smart-regulation/roadmaps/docs/2017_move_003_mid_te

General description of the Connecting Europe Facility

The Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) is a genuinely European instrument aimed at supporting the development of high-performing, sustainable and efficiently interconnected trans-European networks in the field of energy, telecommunications and transport.

To improve the impact of EU funding, the Programme intends to stimulate private investments proposing grants, as well as innovative financial instruments and providing assistance in the technical and financial set-up of these projects.

Additionally, centralising investments for the transport, energy and telecommunications sectors in one central programme should allow the creation of synergies between the sectors both at management and at project level.

The CEF, established through EU law (Regulation No. 1316/2013), also contributes to the achievement of the Europe 2020 strategy, namely boosting investments, stimulating job creation, economic growth and competitiveness.

The CEF shall mainly focuses on supporting the implementation of projects of common interest in the sectors of transport, telecommunications and energy. The general objectives of this Programme shall mainly focus on the following aspects:

• The enhancement of smart, sustainable and inclusive growth, in line with the Europe 2020 Strategy;
• The achievement of the sustainable development targets by 2020.

How to submit your contribution

Please, submit your response to this public consultation by 27/02/2017 at the latest. Received contributions will be published on line. Please read the specific privacy statement attached to this consultation for information on how your personal data and contribution will be dealt with. Non-registered organisation responses (see 'Important notice' below) will be published separately and counted as individual contributions.

The questionnaires are in English only and operated with the support of the services of the European Commission, in particular in regards to the technical launch and management online but responses can be submitted in any EU official language. In addition, respondents can also submit position papers to a dedicated functional mailbox: CEF-Public-Consultationec [dot] europa [dot] eu (CEF-Public-Consultation[at]ec[dot]europa[dot]eu)

Transparency and confidentiality

Please note that contributions received from this survey, together with the identity of the contributor, will be published on the European Commission's website, unless the contributor objects to publication of the personal data on the grounds that such publication would harm his or her legitimate interests. In this case, the contribution may be published in anonymous form.

Explanations about the protection of personal data

The policy on "protection of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data by the Community institutions" is based on Regulation (EC) N° 45/2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 December 2000.

Important notice

As part of the European Transparency Initiative, organisations are invited to use the Register of interest representatives to provide the European Commission and the public at large with information about their objectives, funding and structures.

Contact details

European Commission
Directorate General for Mobility and Transport
Directorate B – Investment, Innovative & Sustainable Transport
B-1049 Brussels
Belgium

E-mail address: CEF-Public-Consultationec [dot] europa [dot] eu (CEF-Public-Consultation[at]ec[dot]europa[dot]eu)

Reference documents

• Regulation of the European Parliament and the Council establishing the Connecting Europe Facility (EU) No 1316/2013 of 11 December 2013
• Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 275/2014 of 7 January 2014 amending Annex I to the CEF Regulation
• Regulation (EU) 347/2013 of 17 April 2013 on guidelines for trans-European energy infrastructure
• Regulation (EU) No 283/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 March 2014 on guidelines for trans-European networks in the area of telecommunications infrastructure
• CEF Transport Work Programmes and project selection decisions
• Nine core network corridor studies, including lists of projects and TENtec compliance maps
• Projects of Common Interest in Energy Infrastructure, DG Energy
• http://ec.europa.eu/inea/en/connecting-europe-facility

Are you directly involved at the design, management or implementation level (including as beneficiaries) of the Connecting Europe Facility?

• Yes, please go to the targeted stakeholder survey
• No, please go to the general survey

The approximate time needed for answering is 10 minutes for the general survey and 40 minutes for the targeted stakeholder survey.