On 7 October, a meeting between the governmental delegations of Ukraine and the Slovak Republic took place in Uzhhorod within the framework 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 and Minister of Economy of Ukraine Yuliia Svyrydenko, Deputy Prime Minister for Restoration of Ukraine and Minister for Communities and Territories Development Oleksii Kuleba, Deputy Minister of Economy Taras Kachka, and Head of the State Agency for Restoration and Infrastructure Development Serhii Sukhomlyn met with Slovak Deputy Prime Minister for the Recovery and Resilience Plan and the Use of EU Funds Peter Kmec and Minister of Investments, Regional Development and Informatisation Richard Raši.
The parties 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 on the Mukachevo – Veľké Kapušany 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 complete the work in 2026. This project is of strategic importance for Ukraine’s energy security, our energy independence, and integration into the EU energy market. Slovakia is now the second largest country in terms of emergency and commercial electricity transmission to Ukraine. We are grateful for the support of our energy resilience,” said Yuliia Svyrydenko.
The parties also discussed further cooperation in expanding railway communication. It is expected that in mid-December 2024, the Kyiv–Košice train will be launched via 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. In parallel, 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 centre. We plan to implement this opportunity in the 2025-26 schedule,” said Oleksii Kuleba.
The parties also agreed to develop and improve border crossing points. The Uzhhorod – Vyšné Nemecké border crossing point has already been partially modernised. New equipment was installed there and traffic lanes were expanded. As a result, the daily throughput of the checkpoint has increased by one thousand vehicles. There are plans to expand the checkpoint for pedestrians and continue its modernisation.
“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 travelling to the European Union on business,” said Oleksii Kuleba.
The parties also raised the issue of potentially expanding the capacity of the Malyi Bereznyi – Ubl’a checkpoint to allow the movement of vehicles with a tonnage of 5 tonnes. This will relieve the Uzhhorod – Vyšné Nemecké checkpoint, which is currently the only one that accepts trucks.
During the sectoral talks, the parties also discussed the finalisation 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.
The ministers also discussed further deepening of cooperation in the context of Ukraine’s accession to the EU and deepening of investment cooperation. The Ukrainian side briefed the partners on the Unified Public Investment Project Portfolio, which contains 750 projects, including more than 100 in the areas of healthcare, education, transport and energy.
“It is also important 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,’ summed up Yuliia Svyrydenko.
According to Yuliia Svyrydenko, the parties discussed holding a joint business forum to develop concrete steps. The key topic will be the involvement of Slovakia in the implementation of Ukraine’s recovery projects.