Deputy Minister for Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development Serhiy Derkach took part in high-level events during the Connecting Europe Days week in Brussels, dedicated to the development of transport and logistics routes in Europe.
"Ukraine's integration into the European Union is taking place, among other things, through the expansion of Ukrainian routes in the TEN-T network. We are working on the next step - the inclusion of routes leading to the Danube in the transport network. This is extremely important given the development of the Danube Cluster and the need to increase logistics capabilities.
In addition, it gives us access to some of the EU's instruments for financing transport projects on a par with other countries included in the TEN-T network.
He also drew the attention of his colleagues to the importance of extending the Agreement on Liberalisation of Freight Transport between Ukraine and the EU. The European Commission's position is that the "transport visa-free regime" should be extended. We appreciate this. It is important that the permit-free movement of freight transport is also about the integration of both the Ukrainian market into the EU and the European market into our country," said Serhiy Derkach.
The day before, during the ministerial meeting, Oleksandr Kubrakov, Deputy Prime Minister for Restoration and Minister for Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development, signed the Protocol on the Effective Restoration and Maintenance of Infrastructure on the Danube and its Tributaries. The document highlights the importance of developing the Rhine-Danube corridor as a key for transnational transport to the EU and ensuring the operation of the Solidarity Lanes with Ukraine.
The Connecting Europe Days also included a meeting of the Transport Community, an international organisation in the field of mobility and transport that includes EU countries and the Balkan states. Ukraine has the status of an observer, but with the possibility of a full participant. This allows our country to exchange experience and train transport professionals.