Ukraine and Slovakia deepen cooperation at the level of communities, in energy, infrastructure and business

On October 7, the Governmental delegations of Ukraine and the Slovak Republic met in Uzhhorod as part of the second round of intergovernmental consultations, chaired by Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal and Prime Minister of Slovakia Robert Fico.

During the consultations, First Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine - Minister of Economy of Ukraine Yuliia Svyrydenko, Deputy Prime Minister for Restoration of Ukraine - Minister for Communities and Territories Development Oleksii Kuleba, Deputy Minister of Economy Taras Kachka and Head of the State Agency for Restoration and Development of Infrastructure Serhiy Sukhomlyn met with Deputy Prime Minister for the Recovery and Resilience Plan and the Use of EU Funds of the Slovak Republic Peter Kmec, Minister of Investment, Regional Development and Informatization of the Slovak Republic Richard Raši.

The intergovernmental consultations also included a sectoral meeting on cross-border cooperation and logistics development. The meeting was attended by Minister of Internal Affairs Ihor Klymenko, Head of the State Border Guard Service Serhii Deineko, and the Ministry of Community and Territorial Development was represented by Deputy Minister Serhii Derkach. The Slovak side was represented by the Minister of the Interior Matúš Šutaj Eštok, the State Secretary of Transport of Slovakia Denisa Žiláková and the State Secretary at the Ministry of Finance Radovan Majerský.

The parties agreed to launch joint experience exchange and training programs for local and regional authorities in Ukraine to prepare them for working with EU structural funds.

“This will be a separate Platform to bring together our regions and communities. We welcome Slovakia's active participation in developing interregional cooperation with different regions of Ukraine. We are especially grateful for the support of our frontline regions,” said Oleksii Kuleba, Deputy Prime Minister for Restoration of Ukraine, Minister for Communities and Territories Development.

The two sides also discussed the implementation of joint infrastructure and energy projects and the deepening of economic cooperation. In particular, the reconstruction of the Mukachevo - Veľké Kapušany interconnector.

“Progress has been made in the Mukachevo-Velke Kapusany interconnector project. The Ukrainian and Slovak system operators have agreed on the timeframe for completing the first stage of construction work. Both parties plan to finish in 2026. This project is of strategic importance for Ukraine's energy security, our energy independence, and integration into the EU energy market. Today, Slovakia is the second largest country in terms of emergency and commercial electricity transmission to Ukraine. We are grateful for the support of our energy sustainability,” said Yuliia Svyrydenko.

The parties discussed further cooperation in expanding railway communication. It is expected that in mid-December 2024 it will be possible to launch the Kyiv-Košice train through Chop with a potential extension to Bratislava.

“We are developing railway communication with Slovakia. At the end of this year, we plan to launch a connection between Kyiv and the main Slovak cities - Bratislava and Košice. We will provide a convenient connection in Chop. We continue to increase the transit potential of this railway junction. At the same time, we are already working on the construction of a narrow gauge railway from Chop to Uzhhorod. This will allow us to extend the Bratislava-Chop passenger service to the regional center. We plan to realize this opportunity in the 2025-26 schedule,” said Oleksii Kuleba.

The parties also agreed to develop and improve checkpoints. The Uzhhorod-Vyšné Nemecké border crossing point has already been partially modernized. New equipment was installed there and traffic lanes were expanded. As a result, the daily capacity of the checkpoint has increased by a thousand vehicles. The company plans to expand the checkpoint for pedestrians and continue its modernization.

“The new agreements include the opening of the Pavlove-Matovce railway crossing point for passenger traffic. Currently, it operates as a freight crossing. We agreed to amend the relevant Agreement and start working in this direction as well. This will make it possible to connect Uzhhorod with Košice and Bratislava via this shorter route. The development of railway communication with European countries is about comfort and convenience for those crossing the border, Ukrainians returning home and traveling to the European Union on business,” emphasized Oleksii Kuleba.

During the sectoral talks, the parties also discussed the finalization of the Agreement on Joint Customs and Border Control. The text is currently under review by the Slovak side. It is expected that in the near future Slovakia will send it for comments to the European Commission.

They also raised the issue of potentially expanding the capacity of the Maly Berezny-Ubl'a checkpoint to allow the movement of vehicles with a tonnage of 5 tonnes. This will relieve the Uzhhorod-Veľké Kapušany checkpoint, which is currently the only one that accepts trucks.

In addition, the ministers discussed further deepening cooperation in the context of Ukraine's accession to the EU and deepening investment cooperation. The Ukrainian side familiarized the partners with the Unified Project of Public Investments, which contains 750 projects, including more than 100 in the areas of healthcare, education, transportation and energy.

“It is also essential for us to establish direct contacts between Ukrainian and Slovak businesses so that they can jointly apply for funding from our partners to implement reconstruction projects. This is not just an opportunity to restore what has been destroyed and implement new projects, but also an opportunity to support Ukraine's economy by creating new jobs in Ukraine,” summarized Yuliia Svyrydenko.

To develop concrete steps, the parties discussed holding a joint business forum. The key topic will be the involvement of Slovakia in the implementation of Ukraine's recovery projects.