The Danube Region has special importance for the EU due to both the many countries it crosses and to EU’s direct access to the Black Sea. Together with Rhine River and Main Channel, Danube links the North Sea and the Port of Rotterdam, EU’s largest port to the Black Sea and Constanţa Seaport, EU’s tenth biggest port.
In this context, Romania, as one of the countries in the Danube Region, has to identify and participate in the elaboration of projects aimed at easing freight transport, next to the other countries, as cross-border projects are very important in the strategy.
Danube Strategy is dedicated to improving the life of European citizens in this part of the Danube by developing mobility and connectivity, environmental protection, energy efficiency, economic and social development. It will also have a significant contribution to improving coordination between local and regional authorities and the organisations which develop activity in the Danube Region.
A year after the launch of the strategy, European authorities want to accelerate its implementation given its importance to economic growth. “The 14 Danube countries are already benefiting from their intensified cooperation under the Strategy. Practically a project a week has been identified for implementation since the Strategy got off the ground, and new networks are developing among in the field of business, innovation, security and much more. I want to see for myself how the teams leading this pioneering initiative are advancing, and spur them on to accelerate implementation of measures that can help contribute to jobs and growth ”, declared the European Commissioner for Regional Policy, Johannes Hahn.
The development of transports, especially freight, will mostly depend on the efficient use of the different transport modes where the inland waterways and railways are very important to the development of sustainable transports. “A modern and functional infrastructure is important for the economic development of the Danube Region, as small and medium undertakings especially depend on the infrastructure quality. Therefore, it is vital for the EU to remove the existing bottlenecks in the transport infrastructure, to contribute to the economic growth of the region”, believes Michael Theurer, Chairman of the Committee on Budgetary Control and Vice-Chair of the MEP Danube Forum at the “Danube Forum” in the European Parliament (EP) – “Mobility and Intermodality in the Danube Region”. However, it is necessary to improve the entire intermodal transport system along the Danube while paying special attention to the connections between inland ports and railway infrastructure which help make logistics efficient.
Also, to improve the connectivity to the Black Sea (an important link in Europe’s connection with Asia), it is important to modernise and develop missing links in the Trans-European network which will help improve intermodality in the region. Removing missing links and the existing bottlenecks in the railway transport are important for both the TEN-T and the Danube Strategy. “Some nodes and logistics centres are very important for creating a real bond between transport modes, mainly road and railway”, pointed out Cesare Bernabei, Advisor of the Coordinator for Priority Project 18, Rhine/Meuse-Main-Danube.
Taking into account joint interest projects for the development of mobility and intermodality in the Danube Region identified by the coordinators of this priority action together with the countries bordered by the Danube, “I believe these projects should be reviewed and included, where possible, both in the future regulation on the guidelines for defining the TEN-T and in Regulation on the “Connecting Europe” Facility”, declared Adriana Ţicău, Vice-Chair of the Commission for Transport and Tourism (TRAN).
Romania has to have as many transport hubs as possible On the central network
One cannot talk about the development of the transport infrastructure in the region in the absence of integration with the TEN-T network which has nine components: central network (to be finalized by 2030) and the global network (its development being estimated at 2050) which combines all transport modes, including multimodal platforms. The implementation of the central network will be facilitated through an approach based on 10 corridors that will represent the foundation of infrastructure coordinated development. In this context, “Romania should insist on having as many urban hubs and ports in the central network as possible, since, according to the TEN-T regulation, the hubs of the central network are urban hubs, including related ports and airports, maritime ports and cross-border points to neighbouring countries”, declared Adriana Ţicău.
Therefore, in the Commission’s proposal, the link between Romania and Ukraine will be made via Vicşani – for railway transport, and with the Republic of Moldova via Un-gheni. The chapter “urban hubs for the central network” only includes Bucharest and Timişoara.
Also, the Commission’s proposal, Corridor 10, Strasbourg – Danube, contains two components: Main-Danube Channel, for which studies and works are being carried out on different sections to remove bottlenecks, to develop ports and to ensure their connection to the land transport infrastructure and the second component is related to Constanţa Seaport and its connections to the land transport infrastructure. Therefore, it is very important for the countries in the region to ensure a permanent flow with a greater capacity since it depends on the transport connections between countries.
In Romania, as regards the provision of transport services between adjacent countries, the city group Galaţi-Brăila-Măcin, important industrial cluster with access to the Danube ports and providing connections to the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine, should become an important hub in the TEN-T network. “I will support this within the Parliament with amendments. This group of cities should also be introduced on Corridor 10 with the development of ports and ensuring their connection to the land transport infrastructure and with the development of a multimodal terminal. Moreover, I will also make sure that the link between these two neighbouring countries would not be made through one single point, but through longer borders with several cross-border points”, points out Ţicău.
In addition, transport development in the Danube Region and improving the connection with adjacent countries require the development of a freight port in Giurgiu (Romania) as one of the city’s priority projects in the coming four years included in the plan for the sustainable development and strategy of the Danube.
“The development of Giurgiu Port is a key factor in freight traffic, since we have one single 60-m long berth at the Danube serving both passenger and freight transport. The development of the port is important as the authorities are busy with the implementation of the Danube Strategy projects, but also with the sustainable development of the region, which will obviously lead to economic growth”, declared the representative of Giurgiu Municipality, Mirela Popazu.
The project would be developed using European funds. A feasibility study has already been elaborated jointly with a consortium of Dutch companies and this study stipulates the separation of the freight port of the passenger port and the development of the freight port upstream of Giurgiu on a surface of around 200 hectares. Investments of up to EUR 130 Million are necessary for the development of the new port where around 8 operating berths will be built compared to just one berth in today’s Port of Giurgiu. With the implementation of this project, the authorities also plan to develop an industrial park.
With the joint interest projects it launches, “Romania, just like all the others interested countries, will have to submit the project demands together with the approval of the countries involved and this should happen as soon as possible”, said Ţicău. For the projects identified by the coordinators of the Mobi-lity and Intermodality priority action to be implemented and financed in 2014-2020, it is important that the member states bordered by the Danube to carry out relevant feasibility studies in 2012-2013.
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