In order to create cross-border and transnational partnerships in fields of strategic importance, to improve territorial, economic and social integration and to support cohesion, stability and competitiveness in the region, in the programming period 2007-2013, the European Union financed the Joint Operational Programme Romania – Ukraine – Republic of Moldova. The three countries will benefit from financial support within the same programme in 2014-2020 as well.
The Joint Operational Programme is aimed at supporting the projects which favour economic and social development, environment protection, preparation for emergency situations, investments in transport and energy infrastructure. Projects have to have cross-border character and to be developed in partnership by organisations on both sides of the frontier. In order to become eligible, at least one Romanian partner and one Ukrainian/Moldovan partner have to participate in the projects.
The scope of the Programme includes regions of the three neighbouring countries, namely Botoşani, Galaţi, Iaşi, Suceava, Tulcea and Vaslui districts in Romania, Odessa and Cernăuţi oblasts in Ukraine and the entire territory of the Republic of Moldova.
The Joint Operational Programme is aimed at implementing important projects for the improvement of the infrastructure in the region by modernising transport and energy networks, key aspects for a competitive economy and for ensuring the appropriate interconnection between the three participating countries.
Transportation is extremely important and represents the foundation of the eco-nomy, but in the region included in the Programme, transport of any kind is not an advantage for economic development and interoperability.
The railway network is confronted with a lack of resources for capital investments. Although part of the network is electrified and used by upgraded trains, in some
areas of the programme they require investments in the railway lines and in the modernisation of trains.
However, costs for the modernisation of railway infrastructure would be too high to be covered by this programme so that a series of small-scale optimisation measures could be encouraged to facilitate cross-border traffic.
Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova are important partners for the European Union and its neighbouring policy and are also included in the programmes of the Eastern Partnership. Moreover, the three countries, Romania, Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova are the important pillars of railway freight transport in the Eurasian platform and are included in the Wider Black Sea Area (WBSA). At the same time, we must underline the fact that these three countries are crossed by two important pan-European corridors, Corridor IX and Corridor VII – the Danube, as well as by TRACECA corridors.
Based on these facts, the development of railway infrastructure at the borders of the three countries becomes inevitable. That is why they should join efforts in elaborating programmes for the improvement of railway infrastructure. Moreover, the border regions of Romania, Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova can play a significant role within TEN-T. A developed cross-border infrastructure is necessary to reach this objective. Adriana Nicula, representative of the Joint Operational Programme Romania – Ukraine – Republic of Moldova, present at the Moldovan Railway Summit 2013, highlighted the importance of developing joint railway projects in the three countries included in the programme, saying that “no application for funds has been submitted by the three countries for the improvement of railway border traffic. However, this should not prevent the submission of applications for funds in the programming period 2014-2020”.
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