The European Union and the six Eastern Partner countries of the Eastern Partnership (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine) signed a Joint Declaration on the development of transport and logistics, with special emphasis on the improvement of transport connections between the EU and the Eastern Partner Countries.
The parties highlighted the importance of facilitating movement of people and goods through the improvement of cross-border links and welcome the existing close cooperation on all transport modes, including through exchanges of best practices on making transport connections more secure, more sustainable and more efficient. At the same time, the parties emphasise the importance of developing transport and logistics hubs, with increased involvement of the private sector, serving the region to improve Western-Eastern connectivity in the continent.
The EU and the Eastern Partner countries will implement the Indicative TEN-T Investment Action Plan, in line with Deliverable 13 of the ’20 Deliverables for 2020’ as endorsed at the last Eastern Partnership Summit in November.
The Plan, published on 15 January 2019, identifies the priority projects on the extended core TEN-T in Eastern Partner Countries, following the corridor approach. The priority projects will contribute to improving transport and logistics connections that support a more efficient movement of people and goods in a pan-European transport area.
The Indicative TEN-T Investment Action Plan will be used as guidance for future investments with the goal to complete the extended core TEN-T network by 2030 as well as to promote digitalisation and decarbonisation of transport within the framework of the EU neighbourhood policy. Financial support from the EU’s External Investment Plan, in line with the applicable rules and within the limits available, could be used to leverage loans from European and international financial institutions in the context of the implementation of the Indicative TEN-T Investment Action Plan.
In November 2018, the EC adopted the TEN-T maps to the Eastern Partner countries.
At the beginning of 2019, the Eastern Partnership (EaP) countries, the EC and the World Bank elaborated an investment plan for priority projects which require a total of EUR 13 billion investment for 4800 km of road and rail infrastructure, 6 ports and 11 logistics centres. The projects will make possible the construction and rehabilitation of new and existing roads, rail, ports, airports as well as logistical centres and border crossing points. The priority investments include both short-term projects to be completed by 2020 and long-term projects aiming to improve transport links on the TEN-T by 2030.
Railway PRO January issue provides you details on transport projects and policies between the EU and the six Eastern Partner countries.
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