Important Projects of Common European Interest (IPCEI)

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IPCEI (Important Projects of Common European Interest) is a label given by the European Commission to large projects that have a significant impact on the competitiveness of the European Union, economic growth and innovation, and are considered to be of common interest to EU Member States. The IPCEIs are designed to support strategic industrial projects that can bring long-term benefits and help address key challenges for the EU. IPCEIs make it possible to bring together knowledge, expertise, financial resources, and economic actors throughout the Union and create positive spillover effects to the whole Union.
 

Legal bases
 

Following Article 107(3)(b) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU), aid to promote the execution of an important project of common European interest or to remedy a serious disturbance in an economy of a Member State may be considered compatible with the internal market.

In 2021, the Commission published the currently applicable Communication on the criteria for the analysis of the compatibility with the internal market of State aid to promote the execution of IPCEIs (2021/C 528/02). 
 

Key characteristics of the IPCEI:
 

  • Common European interest: IPCEIs must have a transnational dimension, meaning that they involve more than one Member State, and the results of the project must benefit the whole EU.
  • Innovation and competitiveness: IPCEIs are usually based on new technologies and innovations that can improve the EU's competitiveness on a global scale. These projects can be in areas such as digital industry, green transition, health or transport.
  • Financial support: Projects designated as IPCEI may receive state aid from Member States, provided that such aid does not distort competition within the EU single market. Such support must be targeted at specific objectives and results that would be difficult for the private sector to achieve on its own.
  • Long-term objective: IPCEIs  aim to improve the EU's economic and technological capacity in the long term, boosting employment, innovation and sustainable development.
     

Why are they important?
 

IPCEI initiatives enable the EU to maintain global competitiveness in areas of strategic importance. They also enable cooperation between the private and public sectors in developing solutions that can help achieve EU goals, such as reducing carbon emissions, improving energy security, or advancing digital technologies.