In 2010, the European Council agreed to the Commission's proposal to launch a new strategy "Europe 2020". One of the priorities of the Europe 2020 strategy is sustainable growth to be achieved by promoting a more resource-sufficient and more competitive economy.

In 2011, the European Council underlined the need to modernise and expand Europe's energy infrastructure and to interconnect networks across border, in order to make solidarity between Member States operational, to provide for alternative supply or transit routes and sources of energy and to develop renewable energy sources in competition with traditional sources.

Projects of common interest (PCIs) should comply with common, transparent and objective criteria in view of their contribution to the energy policy objectives.

Regulation (EU) No 347/2013 sets out a new framework for infrastructure planning and project implementation for the period 2020 and beyond. Guidelines for trans-European energy infrastructure identify nine strategic geographic infrastructure priority corridors in the domains of electricity, gas and oil, and three Union-wide infrastructure priority areas for electricity highways, smart grids and carbon dioxide transport networks, and establish a transparent and inclusive process to identify concrete projects of common interest. PCIs shall meet, among others, the following criteria: to bring substantial benefits to at least two Member States, to contribute energy market integration and competition, to contribute security of supply and reduce CO2 emissions. PCIs shall be allocated the status of the highest national significance possible and be treated as such in permit granting processes and associated lower administrative fees. Projects should be more attractive to investors due to possibility of cross-border allocation of costs to the countries that would benefit the most from the individual project, and because of the possibility of financial assistance from the European funds.

Regulation (EU) No 347/2013 on Guidelines for Trans-European Energy Infrastructure in the seventh paragraph of Article 11 determines that national regulatory authorities cooperating in the framework of ACER establish and make publicly available a set of indicators and corresponding reference values for the comparison of unit investment costs for comparable projects of the infrastructure categories.

Explanation regarding implementation of Article 17, point 4 of Regulation (EC) No 869/2022

In accordance with Article 17, point 4 Regulation (EC) No 869/2022, each national regulatory authority must publish its methodology and the criteria used to evaluate investments in electricity and gas infrastructure projects and the higher risks incurred by them. In this respect, the Energy Agency sent the European Commission the following explanation.

Decision on cross-border cost allocation for the connection between Cirkovce (SI) and Pince (HU)

The Energy Agency received a request from the Slovenian TSO, ELES Company, d.o.o., for an investment relating to the construction of the 2 X 400 kV Cirkovce–Pince transmission line and the 400/110 kV Cirkovce metering distribution station, which represents the Slovenian part  of the project of common interest – PCI 3.9.1. Interconnection between Žerjavinec (HR), Heviz (HU) and Cirkovci (SI). Given that all the work will be carried out in Slovenia and that the project does not provide a significant net positive effect to other countries in the region, the Energy Agency issued a decision according to which  the entire investment cost for the 2 X 400 kV Cirkovce–Pince transmission line and the 400/110 kV Cirkovce metering distribution station was allocated to the Slovenian TSO, ELES Company d.o.o. The decision is published here.