CEF Telecom Expert Group Meeting on CEF2 Digital

Focus of the meeting

The Member States will discuss the following topics with the Commission services:

• The possible funding actions as proposed in the CEF2 Digital non-paper,
• CEF2 Digital funding areas to be addressed with priority,
• The role of Member States for supporting project preparations and to ensure synergies with other forms of public support for the deployment of Gigabit and/or 5G networks.

CEF2 Digital & multiannual work programme

In June 2018, the Commission put forward its proposal for a Regulation establishing the Connecting Europe Facility programme (CEF) for the period 2021-2027 (“CEF2”). The digital part of the programme (CEF2 Digital) is designed to provide support for projects of common interest related to the deployment of safe and secure very high capacity networks and 5G systems.

A common understanding between the Council and the European Parliament was reached in March 2019, covering all substantive elements of the proposal, including the objectives and the actions to be supported. On this basis, the Commission is required to develop the first multiannual work programme (2021-23) for CEF2 Digital, with a view to adopt it by 31 December 2020.

To prepare the discussions with Member States, in December 2019 the Commission has published a so-called CEF2 Digital non-paper with strategic orientations and implementation modalities. In this first meeting, the Commission will present and discuss the possible funding actions as proposed in the technical annex of the non-paper.