ERTICO – ITS Europe has joined more than 60 leading transport organisations across the continent in signing a joint open letter urging EU Member States and the European Commission to significantly strengthen the EU transport budget under the next Multi-Annual Financial Framework (MFF). The coalition calls for increasing the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) budget to at least €100 billion to ensure Europe can meet its strategic, economic, and climate objectives.
The open letter is co signed by a wide and diverse coalition, representing every mode of mobility: road, rail, air, maritime, inland waterways, logistics operators, vehicle manufacturers, shippers, infrastructure managers, cities, regions, and digital transport innovators. This collective includes key actors from across the transport value chain, making the joint call one of the most comprehensive and unified sectoral appeals in recent years.
By signing the letter, ERTICO has highlighted its long-standing commitment to accelerating digitalisation, innovation, and intelligent mobility solutions across Europe. As a public–private partnership representing more than 120 organisations, ERTICO plays a pivotal role in shaping the future of mobility through collaborative initiatives, large scale deployment projects, EU-funded programmes, and cross-sector innovation platforms.
The message is particularly important for the ERTICO Partnership, which brings together stakeholders from eight key sectors of the mobility ecosystem: public authorities, road operators, traffic and transport industry, service providers, the automotive sector, telecom and IT industries, users, and research organisations. The diversity of this partnership reflects the increasingly integrated nature of Europe’s mobility system, where digital infrastructure, connected services, vehicles, and physical networks must evolve together. Strengthening EU transport funding will directly support cross-sector collaboration, enabling these actors to accelerate the deployment of intelligent transport systems, scale innovative mobility services, and ensure that Europe’s mobility ecosystem remains competitive, resilient, inclusive and aligned with its sustainability objectives.
“As the European platform bringing together public and private stakeholders, ERTICO sees every day how vital EU funding is for deploying intelligent transport systems, creating innovation, and achieving a connected, sustainable mobility ecosystem,” says CEO Joost Vantomme. “A strong EU budget is a strategic investment in Europe’s competitiveness and resilience. Without ambitious and predictable funding, Europe risks slowing down innovation at a time when global competition in smart and sustainable mobility is accelerating.”
The joint letter illustrates the shared concern across the European transport ecosystem: without sufficient and strategic EU investment, the sector will face growing challenges in meeting rising infrastructure demands, achieving sustainability goals, accelerating digital transformation, and maintaining Europe’s industrial and technological leadership.
The coalition’s message is clear: transport is not a cost, rather it is an investment in Europe’s future. The unprecedented unity amongst the signatories emphasises the critical juncture that Europe’s transport system is at. From climate adaptation needs to military mobility requirements, from supply chain disruptions to the demands of digitalisation and automation, Europe must scale up its investment efforts to modernise infrastructure, close cross-border gaps, and strengthen network resilience.
The full letter can be viewed here.