Funding

As a cross-border section of the Alpine stretch of the Scandinavian-Mediterranean corridor (SCAN-MED), the Brenner Base Tunnel is largely subsidised by the European Union.

European grants are awarded following Calls for Tenders, in which other projects from the European Transport Network (TEN-T Network) also participate.

In order to cover the financial commitments that have already been undertaken, Italy and Austria have been receiving co-financing from the European Union for the Brenner Base Tunnel since 2016: 50 % for planning and prospection activities and 40% for construction activities. Including grants obtained before 2016, the European Union has so far guaranteed a total co-financing amount of more than EUR 1.6 billion.

BBT SE is also participating in a European call for tenders to obtain co-financing for the costs it will bear from 01.07.2023.

BBT SE has recently participated in a call for tenders launched by the European Commission in order to obtain new EU funding. Following the positive evaluation of BBT SE’s application, 700 million Euros have been allocated to the project.

An important new feature of the new EU funding is the increase of the co-financing percentage to cover construction activities from 40% to 50%. This means that the new EU funding will now cover 50% of the total project costs, with the remaining 50% being shared equally between Italy and Austria.

In order to ensure optimal use of EU grants, the pertinent EU offices (European Commission, CINEA, European Court of Auditors, etc) as well as the Austrian and Italian Ministries constantly monitor the progress of the works and the use of the allocated resources.

The remainder of the costs for the BBT is borne equally by Austria and Italy.

The Brenner Base Tunnel is Europe’s most-funded infrastructure project. The EU co-funding comes from the “Connecting Europe Facility” (CEF). This funding programme supports the construction of efficient transport infrastructure.