EU launches third call for truck parking funding
The European Commission has launched a more flexible funding call for safe and secure parking across the European Union.
Similar, to the two previous calls for funding, the European Commission has made €250 million available for safe and secure mobility projects
The funding covers developing new safe and secure parking areas, upgrading existing facilities, and enhancing the dissemination of parking information, including the availability, location and pricing of parking areas.
The requirements foresee that new safe and secure truck parking areas (SSTPAs) built with Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) funding comply with EU standards adopted in April 2022.
The EU standards set out the minimum level of service which SSTPAs need to offer to professional drivers. This includes gender-friendly sanitary facilities, food and beverage services, internet availability, power supply, and emergency contact points and procedures. UICR helped develop the EU standards by contributing to a 2019 study and participating in the European Commission’s Expert Group on SSTPAs.
The UICR Member the EPDA “We welcome the announcement of additional EU funds for our sector. Policymakers listened to us and enlarged the scope of the funding to cover the comprehensive network.”
“We will see if additional funding will be allocated under the Connecting Europe Facility. We sincerely hope it will be the case after this third call,” the EPDA added.
According to the 2019 study, 300,000 truck parking spaces are available in the EU, with a significant shortfall of 100,000 spaces to meet total demand. Only 7,000 spots, or less than 3% of existing parking places in the EU, are in certified safe and secure areas.
New solutions, such as revising private co-funding requirements, are needed to attract successful projects. Depending on the location of the parking areas, the amount of private co-funding varies, making the application less attractive for many players.
A virtual information day on the 2023 CEF funding call will be held on 10 October 2023. The application deadline for funding is 30 January 2024.
UICR will continue to work closely with all public and private actors to promote the building and upgrading of SSTPAs across Europe.
