The European Commission said on March 15 that over €121 million from the Cohesion Fund will be invested in two major projects in Poland, which will improve connectivity in the country and encourage the shift towards sustainable urban mobility, according to New Europe.
The first one is a €30 million investment package to purchase 35 modern and energy-efficient trams for the city of Cracow, serving the whole urban area. This investment will both increase safety and comfort for the commuters and promote environment-friendly transport modes.
The second project is worth over €91 million and aims at completing the modernisation works on the section between Warsaw and the town of Otwock, on the railway line 7 which links Warsaw to Lublin along the comprehensive Trans-European Transport Network.
EU Regional Policy Commissioner Corina Crețu said that Cohesion Policy investments aim to boost regional development by facilitating access to major European transport networks while encouraging citizens to leave their cars at home and enjoy modern and clean public transport.
About Cohesion Fund
The Cohesion Fund was established for the purpose of strengthening the economic, social and territorial cohesion of the European Union in the interests of promoting sustainable development. For the 2014-2020 programming period it provides support to:
- investment in the environment, including areas related to sustainable development and energy which present environmental benefits;
- trans-European networks in the area of transport infrastructure (TEN-T);
- technical assistance.
The EU is allocating some EUR 63.4 billion to the Cohesion Fund (excluding transfers to the Connecting Europe Facility), and the level of financing from the Cohesion Fund for a project can amount to up to 85% of its cost.
In the context of projects serving the EU’s environmental protection objectives, the Cohesion Fund may also contribute in fields relating to sustainable development, such as energy efficiency, renewable energy and — in the transport sector outside the trans-European networks — rail transport, inland waterway transport, sea transport, intermodal transport systems and their interoperability, management of road, maritime and air traffic, clean urban transport and public transport.
Header graphic of Electric Tram courtesy of Cracow Today