Highlights

• In February 2025, the electricity systems of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia have been disconnected from the Russian grid and synchronised with the continental European network.
• This synchronisation would not have been possible without the support of the European Commission and Poland's financial, political and technical commitment.
• At the end of January 2026, the European Commission announced that EUR 113 million under the Connecting Europe Facility will be allocated to increase the resilience and protection of critical energy infrastructure enabling the synchronous operation of the Baltic States and continental Europe.
• For the first time, the Connecting Europe Facility will finance projects related to ensuring the resilience and protection of critical energy infrastructure, increasing the EU energy system's ability to respond to new threats.

The Memorandum signed during the Polish Presidency provides for joint action to protect the Baltic Sea's energy infrastructure. Today, the European Commission is adding significant funds to this political agreement, which will increase energy security in our region. I am convinced that these necessary investments are in the interest of the whole of Europe

– said Minister of Climate and Environment Paulina Hennig-Kloska.

During the Polish Presidency, the synchronisation of the Baltic countries with the continental network has been successfully completed. This is a historic step towards the independence of Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia and the entire EU from Russia. The Polish Presidency marked the final stage of this process. The final stage of this process took place during the Polish Presidency. Minister Paulina Hennig-Kloska attended the event organised to mark the synchronisation on 9 February 2025 in Vilnius.

On 16 June 2025, Minister Hennig-Kloska and her Baltic counterparts signed a Memorandum on the protection of energy infrastructure in the Baltic Sea. Its aim is to strengthen cooperation through joint preventive measures, threat detection, incident response and deterrence of potential adversaries.

In addition, transmission system operators concluded a technical cooperation agreement, and the governments of the region's countries updated the BEMIP (Baltic Energy Market Interconnection Plan) Memorandum, confirming their willingness to continue integration and investment in critical infrastructure.

Strengthened cooperation also enables further investment. Among the 14 cross-border energy infrastructure projects under the Connecting Europe Facility, EUR 113 million from a total pool of approximately EUR 650 million will be allocated to increasing the resilience and protection of critical energy infrastructure against physical, cyber and other threats in Poland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, as part of the Baltic synchronisation. For the first time, the Connecting Europe Facility is funding projects to strengthen the resilience and protection of critical energy infrastructure, increasing the EU energy system's ability to respond to new threats.

The formal adoption of the financing decision will take place in the coming weeks. The European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA) will then prepare agreements with the beneficiaries. The next call for proposals for energy infrastructure under the Connecting Europe Facility is scheduled for the second quarter of 2026.

The projects selected for funding have been designated as Projects of Common Interest (PCI) and Projects of Mutual Interest (PMI) in 2024 under the Trans-European Network for Energy (TEN-E) policy. Projects of common interest aim to complement the EU energy market and contribute to achieving climate neutrality objectives by ensuring that all Europeans have access to affordable, reliable and renewable energy. PMIs cover cross-border infrastructure between the EU and third countries, contributing to the EU's energy and climate objectives.