Integratie transportsector EU en Oostelijk Partnerschap in stroomversnelling (en)

A significant step forward towards creating a common transport network between the EU and its Eastern partners in the neighborhood was made today, the 9th of October in Luxembourg at the Eastern Partnership Transport Ministerial Meeting, which aimed to increase integration between the EU and its Eastern European partner countries - Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine.

The Ministerial Declaration adopted recommendations to the European Commission requesting to include the Regional Eastern Partnership Transport network in the Regulation establishing trans-European network (TEN-T) and, therefore, to extend the TEN-T network to the EU Eastern neighbors. The regional transport network incorporates the infrastructure in six EU Eastern partners neighbors and their infrastructural links with the TEN-T.

The Eastern Partnership Transport Infrastructure network, approved by the ministers maps out the most significant transport connections between the EU and its Eastern partner countries. This network was developed in accordance with the TEN-T links in Lithuania, Latvia, Poland and other member states. Therefore, it will provide the EU with a coherent and long-term transport policy towards its Eastern partners.

“All of the Eastern Partnership goals such as reconciliation of the legislation of partner countries, establishment of regional transport infrastructure network and assertion of priority projects lead towards closer EU transport market integration with its six partner countries. Tangible results are already achieved in developing a common air space; therefore, similar achievements are expected to be reached also in the railway and water transport sectors,” said the Minister of Transport and Communications of Lithuania Rimantas Sinkevičius.

The ministers of transport also approved the priority infrastructure project list for the six Eastern European partner countries. In the future, these projects may be supported by EU funding and loans of international financial institutions.

“Priority in the field of transport is given to rational and pragmatic interests that improve countries’ economic growth. In my opinion, this is the reason why we managed to do such a significant work in a short period of time,” summarized Mr. R. Sinkevičius.

It is expected that the results achieved in the Eastern Partnership Transport ministerial meeting will be endorsed by the High-Level Eastern Partnership Summit, scheduled to be which is held on 28-29 of November in Vilnius.

Maps of the Eastern Partnership Transport Infrastructure network

Joint declaration "Future of Eastern partnership transport cooperation"