Memorandum On Technical Harmonization Between Ukrainian And EU Railway Systems Signed With ERA

The Ministry of Development of Communities, Territories, and Infrastructure of Ukraine and the European Union Agency for Railways (ERA) have signed an Administrative Arrangement for cooperation on technical harmonization between the railway systems of the European Union and Ukraine.

The Ministry of Development of Communities, Territories, and Infrastructure announced this in a statement, the CFTS portal reports.

According to the statement, part of the arrangement is that ERA will provide further expertise and technical support to the ministry to enable Ukraine to become part of the Single European Railway Area.

Both sides commit to a structured exchange on harmonization of standards and regulations on railway safety, railway interoperability, train drivers' legislation, and other areas within the scope of ERA, the statement said.

The arrangement provides for the establishment of a steering committee to set priorities and rolling plans in support of the overall objectives.

"The development of the Ukrainian railways is one of the prerequisites for full-fledged transport integration into the European Union. In fact, the European integration of Ukraine’s railway system represents one of the largest segments of Ukraine's transport integration into the EU. We have several challenges in this regard, but with the support of the ERA, we will be able to work together to adapt the Ukrainian railway to European standards, both physically and in terms of regulations. The agreement will be another step towards successful cooperation," said Deputy Minister of Development of Communities, Territories, and Infrastructure Serhii Derkach.

"In the past, we have provided significant assistance in our areas of responsibility on strategic issues related to the development of vital transport links between Ukraine and the EU in times of crisis - reinforcement of the Solidarity Lanes, transposition of EU legislation in Ukraine, technical harmonization issues of reconstruction and TEN-T projects, and others. The wartime efforts of the Ukrainian railway sector are nothing short of heroic and an inspiration to all of us here in the European Union. By the way, we have a lot to learn from our Ukrainian friends when it comes to the modal split of freight, as they are putting more than 50% of their overall transport volume on the rail," said Josef Doppelbauer, Executive Director of the European Union Agency for Railways.