CEF Telecom Work Programme 2019: Grants and New Blockchain Building Block
On 14 February 2019, the European Commission published the 2019 CEF Telecommunications Work Programme. The 2019 Work Programme also links to to actions foreseen in 2020.
The Work Programme outlines the general objectives and priorities for actions to be launched by the Commission in 2019 and explains how these can be tangibly achieved through the selected digital service infrastructures, including the CEF Building Blocks.
The CEF Building Blocks are basic digital infrastructures that enable the more complex digital service infrastructures to function properly. The CEF Building Blocks consist of eArchiving, Big Data Test Infrastructure, Context Broker, eDelivery, eID, eInvoicing, eSignature & eTranslation.
In 2019, CEF funding supports several of these Building Blocks in their implementation throughout Europe. The Innovation & Networks Executive Agency (INEA) administrates CEF grant funding.
Visit INEA to access all the information you need to submit a proposal. Below you will find an overview of CEF grants in 2019.
Building Block | Indicative Level of Funding | High-level funding objective (consult Work Programme and Call Texts via INEA for complete outline) | Grants open | Deadline for proposals |
|---|---|---|---|---|
€ 4.5 million | Support public and private bodies providing online services to integrate those services with the eIDAS interoperability nodes | Thursday 14 February 2019 | Tuesday 14 May 2019 (17:00.00 Brussels time) | |
€ 0.5 million | Support the use of the Trusted Lists that Member States are obliged to establish, maintain and publish in line with eIDAS Regulation, in electronic signature systems | Thursday 14 February 2019 | Tuesday 14 May 2019 (17:00.00 Brussels time) | |
€ 1 million | Support the deployment and operation of Access Points and Service Metadata Publishers, as well as the upgrading of data exchange solutions to support and duly comply with the CEF eDelivery standards | Thursday 14 February 2019 | Tuesday 14 May 2019 (17:00.00 Brussels time) | |
€ 6.2 million | Allow a reinforced support to Member States lagging behind in terms of uptake of eInvoicing (and late comers in terms of the compliance with the eInvoicing Directive) and support innovative projects that allow end-to-end eProcurement to be achieved through the integration of Invoicing modules. | Thursday 14 February 2019 | Tuesday 14 May 2019 (17:00.00 Brussels time) | |
*using the Automated Translation engine | € 4 million | Support the collection of language tools and resources for specific domains and for under-resourced languages as well as to stimulate the integration and take-up of CEF eTranslation services. | Thursday 14 February 2019 | Tuesday 14 May 2019 (17:00.00 Brussels time) |
This Work Programme also includes Blockchain in the CEF programme.
The aim of this action is to consolidate the political and technological efforts carried out at EU level in the area of Blockchain and distributed ledger technologies to further the delivery of a generic and reusable Blockchain Building Block to be added to the existing ecosystem of CEF Building Blocks.
In 2019, the efforts of the Commission shall be based on consolidating and continuing efforts undertaken by ongoing EU projects for instance: DG TAXUD’s and DG FISMA’s piloting of cross-border digital services based on Blockchain and several Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation projects – and others – that have utilised Blockchain applications to enhance digital services across borders.
The goal is to allow Member States to exploit registries and databases and share secure and trusted access to information and transactions recorded through those registries and databases in (almost) real time, in a secure and trusted way, whilst reducing the overall costs of such processes for individual Member States and for the EU as a whole. It will also allow a permissioned Blockchain solution to be used by the national administrations that is fully compliant with the EU acquis, ensuring in particular compliance with the Directive on security of network and information systems (NIS), the eIDAS Regulation, and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
There are no grants foreseen in 2019.
The CEF Building Blocks bring real improvements in daily life for citizens, businesses (including SMEs) and administrations as called upon by the Member States in the Tallinn Declaration on eGovernment. In this delectation the Member States commit to enhance the re-use of the CEF infrastructures - in particular eID, eSignature, eDelivery and eInvoicing – and to promote their implementation in more domains.
Hear from the teams that have successfully used CEF Building Blocks in government and business in the Connecting Europe Success Stories. If you've recently used a CEF Building Block, consider telling the story of how your project is Connecting Europe!