CEF Energy 2026 call to boost cross-border renewables

CEF Energy 2026 call to boost cross-border renewables

In this article, you’ll find a clear overview of what the CEF programme is, who can take part, what kinds of initiatives it supports, and then a detailed breakdown of the CEF Energy 2026 focused on cross-border renewable energy projects (CB-RES), with two strands: studies and works.

Europe is accelerating the energy transition while strengthening security of supply. In that context, the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) has become one of the most direct EU instruments to turn strategy into real projects and infrastructure: it connects countries, removes bottlenecks and helps clean energy flow across borders when it is most needed.

What is the CEF programme (Connecting Europe Facility)?

The Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) is an EU funding programme designed to develop strategic infrastructure and improve connectivity across Europe. It is organised into three main strands: Transport, Energy and Digital. In practice, CEF acts as an “accelerator” for projects with clear European added value—initiatives that are faster, cheaper or more effective when countries work together.

Within the energy strand, CEF Energy supports actions that strengthen the internal energy market, improve resilience, and enable decarbonisation. In the 2021–2027 period, it also places greater emphasis on a key category: cross-border projects in the field of renewable energy, known as CB-RES.

Why CEF Energy matters more than ever

The EU is aligning tools and priorities so that decarbonisation also delivers industrial competitiveness. The Clean Industrial Deal reflects this approach: lower emissions, greater energy autonomy and better conditions for European industry to compete.

At the same time, CEF Energy fits perfectly as a financial lever for projects that require coordination across borders—whether that involves regulation, planning, grid integration, renewables deployment or storage.

Who can participate in CEF Energy?

While each call sets its own eligibility rules, CEF Energy tends to attract a fairly consistent set of actors. Typically, the following can participate (as beneficiaries or consortium members, depending on the topic):

  • Public authorities and competent bodies (energy ministries, planning authorities, regulators, etc.).
  • System operators and entities linked to energy system integration.
  • Energy-sector companies (renewables developers, project promoters, engineering firms, EPC contractors, storage operators, etc.).
  • Legal entities with the capacity to deliver technical actions, studies or deployments linked to a cross-border project.

The decisive factor is not only who you are but what role you play in a cross-border project and whether you can prove the technical and financial capacity to deliver what you propose. Where cooperation between Member States (or with third countries) is required, governance, institutional fit and coordination models also carry significant weight.

What kinds of projects does CEF Energy fund?

CEF Energy funds actions that strengthen infrastructure and energy integration across Europe. To understand the CEF-E-2026 call, it helps to focus on the headline category:

CB-RES projects: renewables built through cross-border cooperation

Cross-border projects in the field of renewable energy (CB-RES) are projects selected (or eligible to be selected) under cooperation arrangements between two or more EU Member States, or between Member States and third countries, within the relevant EU framework.

The underlying logic is straightforward and practical: if renewable generation is planned and operated jointly—because of resources, demand patterns, grid constraints or cost structures—Europe gains efficiency, stability and speed in deployment.

CEF Energy 2026 call: overview and key dates

The CEF-E-2026 energy call includes two funding opportunities dedicated to cross-border renewables:

Timeline (as stated in the call information)

  • Opening date: 5 February 2026
  • Deadline: 12 March 2026
  • Status: Forthcoming

CEF Energy 2026 and its strategic fit: goals and expected impact

Both topics share the same strategic backbone: the call aims to fund CB-RES projects that contribute to EU priorities such as the Clean Industrial Deal, the Paris Agreement, 2030 energy and climate targets and the EU’s climate neutrality ambition.

The CB-RES approach sits within the wider CEF framework to promote cross-border cooperation in planning, development and cost-efficient deployment of renewables, including system integration and, where needed, storage.

CEF-E-2026-CBRENEW-STUDIES | Cross-border renewable energy studies projects

This topic supports studies that help implement a CB-RES project. Here, “studies” is used broadly: activities that prepare execution, reduce uncertainty and enable investment decisions.

What counts as a “study” under this call

Eligible activities include preparation, mapping, feasibility work, assessment, testing and validation (including software), technical support and other pre-implementation measures needed to define and develop the project and to decide on its financing. It also covers site exploration and preparation of the financing package.

Put simply: if your project needs to prove technical, environmental, regulatory or financial feasibility before moving into a build decision, this topic is designed for that phase.

Key risks you can address (often decisive in evaluation)

A study can tackle risk factors such as:

  • Security
  • Technical feasibility
  • Environmental impact
  • Regulatory framework
  • Project economics
  • Legal aspects

Are pilots allowed?

CEF Energy does not fund technology development as such. However, the call notes that, in duly justified cases, studies may include pilot projects (for example, pilot plants) to test technologies at TRL 7–8, innovative processes, or techniques required for eligible components of the CB-RES project.

Studies for mature projects: moving from development to the “go” decision

Where the project is already advanced, studies can push it towards the Final Investment Decision (FID). This can include FEED, detailed technical design, geophysical or seabed studies, land-use planning, environmental assessments and comparable tasks. The topic also includes actions such as stakeholder engagement and preparation of procurement for the construction phase.

Cross-border cooperation is not a “nice-to-have”—it is the core

A particularly valuable element of this topic is the ability to define how cooperation will work in practice, including:

  • The legal configuration of the arrangement (e.g., cross-border tendering),
  • Regulatory set-up of the scheme,
  • Cost and benefit sharing between countries.

CEF-E-2026-CBRENEW-WORKS | Cross-border renewable energy works projects

If the studies topic prepares the ground, the works topic supports implementation: purchasing, supplying and deploying components, systems and services (including software), as well as development, construction and installation, acceptance of installations and commissioning.

Works-specific requirements (what you need to prove)

The call emphasises that proposals involving construction must meet specific conditions set in the CEF Regulation for this category. In particular, applicants must justify elements such as:

  • Significant cost savings and/or system integration benefits,
  • Improvements in environmental sustainability, security of supply and innovation.
  • Lack of commercial viability of the investment without CEF support.

In other words, it is not enough to say you want to build. You must show that EU support unlocks a cross-border renewables project that would otherwise struggle to proceed.

Priority for renewable generation (and what it means for your scope)

All else being equal, the call indicates that priority will be given—under the “priority and urgency” criterion—to works proposals linked to renewable generation components rather than non-renewable components. If you include non-RES components (for instance, certain enabling or auxiliary elements), you should justify why they are necessary and demonstrate that they are essential for renewable generation.

How to prepare a strong CEF-E-2026 application

1) Start with a clear cross-border narrative

For CEF Energy, European added value is not decorative. It is the backbone of the proposal. Make it explicit:

  • what barrier exists today (technical, regulatory, coordination, grid, cost),
  • why it requires cooperation between countries,
  • what shared benefits the project will deliver.

2) Match your scope to the right funding topic

  • If you are still validating feasibility and designing the cooperation framework, CEF-E-2026-CBRENEW-STUDIES is likely the best fit.
  • If you are ready to implement and need to close the financing gap, CEF-E-2026-CBRENEW-WORKS is your route.

3) Build a work plan that reduces uncertainty (especially for studies)

Avoid generic study packages. Instead, propose deliverables that unlock decisions: permitting pathways, technical design, FEED, cooperation scheme design, cost–benefit analysis, or procurement preparation.

4) For works, prepare a robust “not viable without CEF” case

This argument often makes the difference. Link costs, risks, market conditions and cross-border benefits—and show how CEF support turns a stalled or fragile project into an executable investment.

Where to follow the call and find the fiche in Kaila

In the Kaila report, the call appears with both topics and a direct link (“URL in Kaila: Click here”). This makes it easier to centralise operational information and track updates, deadlines and requirements from one place while you build your application plan.

The CEF-E-2026 call is highly targeted: it funds CB-RES initiatives that demonstrate genuine cross-border cooperation to deploy renewables more efficiently and integrate them better into the energy system. If your initiative is still being defined, the studies topic can help you reach a solid investment decision. If you are ready to build, the works topic expects a strong justification of cross-border benefits and a credible explanation of why CEF support is needed to overcome commercial barriers.

If you want to quickly assess whether your concept fits, compare the two topics and work from the key dates (opening on 5 February 2026 and deadline on 12 March 2026), reviewing the opportunity in Kaila is a practical starting point to structure requirements and next steps.
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