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NederlandsIRU warns of €5bn cut to the EU fund that pays for secure truck parks and chargers
The Irish presidency of the EU Council proposes, in the 2028-2034 financial framework, a Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) transport envelope around €5bn below the Commission's proposal. IRU warns the funding is already insufficient for current demand — including the cross-border corridors and secure parking used by hauliers leaving the Iberian Peninsula.
IRU (the International Road Transport Union) revealed on 14 October that the Irish presidency of the EU Council’s draft compromise for the next multiannual financial framework (2028-2034) cuts the transport part of the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) by around €5 billion — the fund that co-finances cross-border corridors, charging stations for heavy vehicles, and secure, guarded truck parking, according to trans.info.
The numbers
The European Commission had proposed, in July 2025, €51.5 billion for transport and military mobility within the CEF. The Irish presidency’s compromise cuts the Commission’s proposed total EU budget by 8% — and, according to IRU, that cut falls especially hard on the transport share. The road transport sector had already asked, in February 2026, together with 44 other European organisations, for at least €100 billion for the next CEF period — double the amount now at risk of being cut further.
IRU’s EU director, Raluca Marian, said she regretted “this intention” and stressed that Europe needs sustained investment that national budgets alone cannot guarantee. According to the organisation, demand for CEF funding already exceeds available funds — a smaller budget would widen that gap, not close it.
What is at stake for hauliers leaving the Iberian Peninsula
The CEF co-finances precisely the infrastructure that weighs most on planning an international route from Portugal or Spain: the cross-border corridors of the TEN-T network, the electrification of charging points for heavy vehicles, and, above all, secure, guarded truck parking — the shortage of such parking across Europe is one of the problems professional drivers cite most often. A cut to the envelope slows the expansion of this network over the coming years, on the corridors linking the Iberian Peninsula to the rest of the continent.
What happens next
The multiannual financial framework still has to be negotiated unanimously among member states and approved by the European Parliament — the figures could still change before a final decision. On 15 October, IRU and the Irish industry association already met Ireland’s Minister of State for Transport, Sean Canney, to discuss the file, alongside fuel costs and the European rule being prepared to require payment for transport within 30 calendar days with no exceptions.