The European Commission and the World Bank have jointly developed an investment action plan for development of infrastructure in Eastern Partnership countries, including Ukraine, the CFTS portal reports, citing the European Pravda publication.
The European Commission and the World Bank have co-authored an Indicative trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) Investment Action Plan that identifies priority projects in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Republic of Moldova and Ukraine.
The Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) is a European Commission policy directed towards the implementation and development of a Europe-wide network of roads, railway lines, inland waterways, maritime shipping routes, ports, airports and railroad terminals. The objective of TEN-T is to connect the continent both from the west to the east and from the north to the south in the shortest possible time by “inserting the necessary segments of the transport network in the right places, thereby creating a single network instead of the existing transport mosaic.”
The European Commission has now determined the amount of investment needed to implement these projects. The projects will require an estimated investment of almost EUR 13 billion and foresee a total of 4,800 kilometers of road and rail, 6 ports, and 11 logistics centers. Those projects will make possible the construction and rehabilitation of new and existing roads, rail, ports, airports as well as logistical centers and border crossing points.
The priority investments include both short-term projects to be completed by 2020 and long-term projects aiming to improve transport links on the TEN-T by 2030.
"Enhanced transport connectivity both within the Eastern Partnership region, and between the EaP region and the EU has the potential to bolster economic growth and create job opportunities. The Plan shall also serve to highlight the importance of road safety as well as digital solutions in new projects, and to align design standards with current EU practices," European Commissioner for Transport Violeta Bulc said.
As the CFTS portal reported, the European Commission recently published indicative maps of the Trans-European Transport Networks (TEN-T) on the territories of Eastern Partnership countries, including Ukraine. “The European Commission’s decision means that Ukraine is included in the Trans-European Core Transport Network and that it becomes an important participant in the development of a Europe-Asia transport corridor. The historical significance of this cannot be overestimated. For the first time, the Ukrainian transport network becomes part of the strategic transport and logistics corridors of the European Union. This is an important step towards infrastructural integration of Ukraine, which means that Ukrainian infrastructure is being modernized, gradually acquiring European quality, and is considered by the European Commission as an integral component of the European Union’s transport and logistics system,” Minister of Infrastructure Volodymyr Omelian said in November 2018 while presenting the maps on the territory of Ukraine.
