Ukraine and the European Union signed a “High-Level Understanding” on December 22 confirming that the modified indicative maps of the Trans-European Transport Networks (TEN-T) - roads and railways - are acceptable to both parties.
Ukraine’s Ministry of Development of Communities, Territories, and Infrastructure announced this in a statement, the CFTS portal reports. The final modified indicative maps will be approved by the European Union in April 2024 along with an update of the relevant regulation.
According to the ministry, in the context of Ukraine, the modification of the indicative maps of the Trans-European Transport Network is intended to include new routes leading to the border with Poland and Moldova, which have been prioritized for the development of rail links with the European Union, using the European standard 1435-mm gauge, particularly the Lviv - Rava-Ruska - Lublin railway section.
The following routes are also mentioned: Odesa - Berezyne - Basarabeasca (to Chisinau and Reni, Moldova); Zhytomyr - Vinnytsia - Yampil (to Rîşcani, Moldova); Chop - Uzhhorod - Sambir - Lviv; Krasnohrad - Poltava, Krasnohrad - Kharkiv, and Krasnohrad - Dnipro.
The modification of the TEN-T indicative maps also includes the downgrading of the routes leading to the border with Russia and Belarus (previously, the European Commission excluded Russian and Belarusian routes from the TEN-T network and downgraded routes within the EU at the junctions with Russia and Belarus).
According to the statement, the inclusion of the new Ukrainian routes will make it possible to attract funding from the European Union, particularly grants from the European Commission under the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) for the implementation of infrastructure projects aimed at the development of the Trans-European Transport Network in Ukraine. The requirement for the selection of such projects is their location on the TEN-T network.
A similar agreement was also signed between the European Union and Moldova on 22 December.
"Today's High-Level Understandings are another key step towards bringing Ukraine and Moldova closer to our common market. By extending four European Transport Corridors into Ukraine and Moldova, all the way to the ports of Mariupol and Odesa, we strengthen transport connectivity in the region and with the EU Both countries can now apply for CEF infrastructure funding for projects along these corridors," European Commissioner for Transport Adina Vălean said.
As the CFTS portal reported, members of the European Parliament recently approved the updated guidelines for the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) to accelerate the implementation of major projects by 2030. The guidelines are a plan for the development of a network of railways and roads, inland waterways, and short sea shipping routes in the European Union. According to the document, the European Union is committed to completing major transport infrastructure projects within the TEN-T’s core network by the end of 2030 and those within its comprehensive network by the end of 2050.
