The European Union has started a high-level dialogue with Moldova in the field of transport and will help it develop its transport infrastructure.
As European Commissioner for Transport Adina Vălean stated at a joint press conference with the Minister of Infrastructure and Regional Development of Moldova Andrei Spinu, this is a new chapter in cooperation between the European Union and Moldova in the field of transport, and it is important for Moldova’s European path, as well as for the EU’s connection in general with the eastern part. Adina Vălean said that she is glad that Moldova will become even closer to Romania and to the EU in general through the development of transport infrastructure. The European Commissioner noted that the high-level dialogue launched by the parties in the field of transport does not concern the provision of specific amounts of financing, it will be based on identifying priorities and financing opportunities and will be an additional working tool in the process of negotiations on Moldova’s accession to the EU. According to her, the first round of discussions in this format will take place on February 19 in Brussels and will be devoted to all types of transport and issues related to security, digitalization and sustainable development in our field of activity. “We will discuss Moldova’s role in the “Solidarity Corridors”, which are important for Ukraine, for Moldova, maintaining the flow of goods entering and leaving the European Union,” clarified Adina Vălean. According to her, the increase in production volumes puts additional pressure on the infrastructure of Moldova; the Moldovan side is making great efforts to modernize the transport network and has achieved some progress in this direction. At the same time, the European Commissioner for Transport noted that it is necessary to build as many new road and railway bridges between Moldova and Romania as possible, and to achieve the launch of a high-speed train between Chisinau and Bucharest in the future. Adina Vălean noted that Moldova has already submitted the first applications for financing projects within the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) program in the field of transport, including a project for asphalting the road leading to the port of Giurgiulesti. Moldova also, together with Romania, receives funding for the construction of new and repair of existing bridges Ungheni-Ungheni, Leuseni-Albita, Giurgiulesti-Galati and others, an EU grant to co-finance the restoration of the Valcinet-Balti-Ungheni-Chisinau-Сainari railway corridor. The European Commissioner expressed confidence that in the coming years many Moldovan projects will receive European funding. She also noted the EU's plans to extend the agreement on the liberalization of road freight transportation between Moldova and the European Union. In turn, Andrei Spinu noted that the start of a high-level dialogue between Moldova and the European Union in the field of transport is a confirmation of the excellent cooperation between Moldova and the EU in this sector. “Also, today’s event once again confirms that Moldova is moving with confident steps towards the European Union, the transport sector is a priority in this regard, and Moldova is not alone. We feel the support of the EU, and this gives us more confidence and optimism,” said Andrei Spinu. According to him, the launch of a high-level dialogue between the Republic of Moldova and the EU in the field of transport is a key step for further modernization of transport networks, creation of new transport corridors, improvement of transport links, solution of many problems that arose after the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, etc. // 06.02.2024 — InfoMarket
