Scandria Alliance stresses key role of transport in EU’s 2028–2034 budget

Alliance members adopt joint position on EU’s next MFF and support joint calls of transport sector and Urban Nodes Alliance.

Following its online meeting on 6 February 2026, the General Assembly of the Scandria Alliance adopted a joint policy position on the proposals for the European Union’s Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) 2028–2034. The position paper reflects the common position of the Alliance’s full members and focuses on the critical role of transport and mobility for shaping Europe’s future.

Åsa Ågren Wikström, chair of the Scandria Alliance’s General Assembly: “A resilient and well-functioning transport network is the heartbeat of Europe that ensures industrial competitiveness, military preparedness and supply chain sovereignty. This is why the key role of transport and mobility must be reflected in the next EU budget.”

In their position paper, Alliance members welcome the proposal to maintain the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) as a directly managed programme with an increased budget. They also support the proposed focus on cross-border and military mobility projects as these are seen as vital for creating European added value by enhancing connectivity and resilience.

At the same time, Alliance members express concern that important TEN-T projects will remain underfinanced and identify several shortcomings and challenges in the European Commission’s proposals. These include the fact that urban nodes are not reflected in the draft CEF III regulation. This omission contradicts the enhanced role of urban nodes in the revised TEN-T regulation and risks undermining their ability to meet legal obligations.

Scandria Alliance members also emphasize that national sections of the TEN-T network should be eligible for funding from the CEF III, whenever they contribute to ensuring the full-scale functionality of the TEN-T network.

Read the entire Scandria Alliance position paper here.

Supporting broader transport alliances

To give more weight to its positions, the Scandria Alliance is also involved in broader alliances of networks that are campaigning for the reinforcement of transport and mobility in the next EU budget.

The Scandria Alliance was one of 45 European transport organisations that co-signed an open letter, urging national governments to strengthen European funding for transport under the future EU budget and particularly to increase the budget of the future CEF to at least €100 billion.

Together with its partners from the Urban Nodes Alliance, the Scandria Alliance is also calling on EU policy makers to reinstate urban nodes as a clear priority in the future CEF to acknowledge urban nodes’ essential role for securing transport efficiency and sustainability along the TEN-T network.