Positive
Project advancing - milestone achieved
High Impact
Major milestone or critical setback
On 1 December 2025, the European Commission adopted Delegated Regulation C(2025) 8144 final, establishing the second Union list of Projects of Common Interest (PCIs) and Projects of Mutual Interest (PMIs) under TEN-E Regulation (EU) 2022/869. The Italy–Montenegro HVDC second pole (MON.ITA. 2) is included as entry 2.25 — "Second interconnection between Villanova (IT) and Lastva (ME)" — within the electricity interconnection category. The list grants 235 cross-border energy projects PCI/PMI status, of which 88 are electricity interconnections. PCI/PMI status gives the project eligibility for Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) financing and access to expedited permitting and regulatory processes designed to accelerate execution. The list was submitted to the European Parliament and Council as a Delegated Act for two-month accept-or-reject scrutiny. On entry into force, Delegated Regulation (EU) 2024/1041 (the first PCI/PMI list under the new TEN-E framework) will be repealed. The Italy–Montenegro project has been a PCI since the first PCI list in 2013 and remains so across successive list cycles; this is the most recent renewal.