October 8, 2013
The meeting of the Eastern Partnership Ministers of Transport on October 9 will start to create a Single European Transport Area. The cooperation between the EU and six Eastern partners (Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan) in the field of transport means the joint development of projects and tangible economic benefits.
The goal that was set during the meeting of the Eastern Partnership Ministers of Transport in Krakow in October 2011 – to connect the EU and the neighbouring countries’ transport systems using the common regional cooperation policy – already has results. One of the most prominent achievements is the formation of the Eastern Partnership regional transport network over two years.
The network encompasses the interconnections of the EU’s six Eastern neighbours, as well as the connections of these countries with the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T). The regional transport infrastructure network creates transport connections with priority railroad and road routes, as well as major ports and airports and priority border checkpoints. It is arranged that major regional internal waterways will be included in the regional transport network in the near future.
This is especially beneficial to the economic development of partners because the improvement of connections with the EU’s transport networks will open new ways to expand business, increase export, and facilitate communications.
According to the EU, it can offer the Eastern partners expert knowledge in the development of important infrastructure improvement projects. During the meeting of the Eastern Partnership Ministers of Transportation, the list of priority infrastructure projects of the six countries will be approved.
Some projects are especially important because they improve communications between EU member countries and partners, for example: the electrification of the high-speed railway line Vilnius–Minsk, the Beskyd railway tunnel (connects Ukraine with Europe) project, and the reconstruction of the road connecting Ukraine with Poland (the Krakovets–Lviv–Brody–Rivne section). The citizens of partner countries should benefit greatly from the following projects: the construction of a detour (bypassing three villages) on the road Kishinev–Giurgiulesti, and the building of the road Tbilisi–Senaki–Leselidze, which is the main transit corridor in Georgia.
These and other transport infrastructure improvement projects serve as an example of long-term cooperation between the EU and partner countries. Projects that fall within the scope of the regional East Partnership network may be developed with EU funding and loans from international financial institutions/banks (EIB, EBRD, WB).
Cooperation between the EU and partner countries also encompasses airspace. The most notable achievement of the implementation of the Single European Sky initiative and the expansion of the EU’s internal aviation market into neighbouring countries is the 2012 agreement with Moldova and Georgia regarding a common aviation services market.
Further actions in the field of transport will be defined by the Joint Declaration on the Eastern Partnership Cooperation Capabilities in the Field of Transport, which should be signed during the meeting. Lithuania, presiding over the EU Council, expects meetings of the Eastern Partnership Ministers of Transport to take place regularly in order to consistently assess results and set new goals.
It is important to Lithuania that such decisions, bringing the Eastern partners closer to the EU, are made while the country is presiding over the Council of the EU. An open Europe is one of the key priorities this half-year.
