The Port of Gdansk has become one of the two Polish entities to receive funding from the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF), an EU financial instrument supporting the development of transport, energy and digital services, informs the Port Authority.
The funding of EUR 19.9 mln was granted to the Port of Gdansk in the course of the “2017 CEF Transport Blending MAP Call” competition, with a total pool of EUR 1 bln. The applications submitted by the companies from 22 EU Member states more than twice exceeded the available indicative CEF budget. Thus, the Polish projects were competing against 68 investment requests from all over Europe, of which 39 were selected. In terms of the amount of subsidies granted, Poland came 5th among the competing countries.
The other subsidy in the amount of EUR 60.6 mln was granted to PKP Polskie Linie Kolejowe S.A., a company of the national rail holding PKP Group. This split reflects the intention of the European Commission to devote most of this year’s funding to developing the European rail network (EUR 719.5 mln). To the maritime ports development the EU allocates EUR 78.9 mln.
Gdansk applied to the European Commission for funding its infrastructure project called “Construction of the Polnocne Quay by the peninsular breakwater at the Outer Port in Gdansk”.
“It is a project included in the Development Strategy of the Port of Gdansk until 2027. The investment is ready for implementation, project documentation is complete, including the construction design prepared as part of the project co-financed from the TEN-T programme and a valid building permit,” explained Jowita Zielinkiewicz, Deputy Development Director, responsible for the acquisition of EU funds at the Port of Gdansk.
As part of the planned undertaking, the Port of Gdansk wants to develop the area located along the peninsular breakwater, constructing new berths.
“The construction of this new quay will allow us to increase the Port’s throughput capacity and gain a new universal deepwater quay, the use of which has already been declared by our private partners who signed letters of intent,” said Lukasz Greinke, President of the Board of the Port of Gdansk Authority SA.
The EU non-refundable subsidy to Gdansk amounts to 20% of the project’s total required funding and will enable the port to start the works already in 2018.
The subsidy is given within the CEF programme which aims at blending EU grants with other European, national or private fundings. According to Commissioner for Transport Violeta Bulc, this will unlock a total of EUR 4.5 bln of public and private co-financing by 2030.”