The European Commission announced this Thursday, 5th, the mobilization of 347 million euros for strategic submarine cable projects in the European Union (EU), including a 20 million euro tender to reinforce repair capabilities.
“Submarine data cables, which carry 99% of intercontinental internet traffic, are essential for modern life and the European economy. Faced with the increase in risks that threaten this critical infrastructure, the European Commission is intensifying efforts to strengthen its security and resilience”, explains the community executive in a statement.
Therefore, the institution decided to amend the Digital Work Program of the Connecting Europe Facility to allocate €347 million to strategic submarine cable projects, including a €20 million tender to strengthen the EU’s repair capabilities, which opens today.
Furthermore, it created a Cable Safety Toolbox, with risk mitigation measures, as well as a list of Cable Projects of European Interest, with a view to allocating more EU funds from the EU budget in the long term.
Today’s announcements form part of the EU Cable Security Action Plan, which aims to increase the security and resilience of European submarine cables, such as those in Portugal, to combat the increase in intentional damage and acts of sabotage.
In a risk assessment carried out in October 2025, the community executive identified risk scenarios, threats, vulnerabilities and dependencies.
Under the current multi-annual work program of the Connecting Europe Facility (2024–2027), €533 million is allocated to submarine cable projects, of which €186 million has already been allocated to 25 projects.
Between 2021 and 2024, the program provided 420 million euros for 51 cable connectivity projects.
The security of submarine cables is important for Portugal because the country occupies a key geostrategic position in the Atlantic, functioning as a connection point between Europe, Africa and the Americas, with several international cables landing in national territory, including in the Azores and on the continent.
These cables support digital communications, financial services, cloud services, defense, scientific research and the digital economy in general, so any interruption can have significant economic, social and security impacts.
Furthermore, Portugal has assumed increasing relevance as a technological and data ‘hub’, ensuring the security of such infrastructures, in a context of increased risks of sabotage, accidents and geopolitical tensions.
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