The European Commission and the EBRD allocated 1 billion euros for the development of “solidarity corridors” with Ukraine

The European Commission and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development have agreed on a financial package in the amount of 1 billion euros for the development of “corridors of solidarity” through which Ukraine exports products to the EU and to world markets.

The European Commission and the EBRD agreed on the allocation of funds during the conference with the participation of the ministers of Ukraine, Moldova, Poland and Romania. The decision was announced by European Commissioner for Transport Adina Valean, Ukrinform reports.

“We did everything we could with the available resources. In order to move forward, and we must move forward, we need more investment: in rail tracks, in scanners and in transshipment equipment, and in infrastructure upgrades. “Together, the European Commission, the EBRD and the World Bank announced the allocation of a financial package of 1 billion euros, which is intended exclusively for the financing of ‘solidarity corridors,'” said the European Commissioner.

According to her, Ukraine and Moldova also got access to the possibilities of the European Interconnection Fund (CEF), which is a financial instrument of the European TEN-T transport project. Resources can be used to implement cross-border projects and to eliminate “bottlenecks” during operations on “corridors of solidarity”.

Valean reminded that the “corridors of solidarity” have been working for 7 months. During this time, they transported more than 17 million tons of grain, as well as other goods – from fuel and humanitarian aid to animal food and fertilizers.

Currently, the European Commission is working with the EBRD to identify key infrastructure projects. The first mixed financial instruments consisting of grants from the European Commission and the EBRD to support “solidarity corridors” will soon be presented. Projects must be presented by January 18.

For example, the EU allocated a grant of 20 million euros for Moldova, which will be supplemented with a loan of 12 million euros from the EBRD. Financing will allow modernization of the north-south railway routes and will simplify the transportation of Ukrainian exports through the territory of Moldova to the Danube ports.

Other projects include equipment for night navigation on the Danube through the Sulina Canal (Romania), improvement of border crossings between Poland, Romania, Moldova and Ukraine, mobile equipment for transshipment of goods, improvement of railway routes to Romanian ports, etc.