EU and Ukraine continue strengthening Solidarity Lanes and cooperation on connectivity, safety and sustainability of transport

EU and Ukraine continue strengthening Solidarity Lanes and cooperation on connectivity, safety and sustainability of transport

The third high-level meeting of the EU-Ukraine Transport Dialogue took place yesterday in Kyiv, focusing on efforts to keep Ukraine's exports and imports moving via the Solidarity Lanes, improving connectivity, safety and security as well as sustainability.

Commissioner for Transport Adina Vălean said: “EU-Ukraine cooperation is already very close and occurs daily on the Solidarity Lanes, logistic routes that help Ukraine import and export its goods. We are in the process of firmly anchoring Ukraine's transport network into that of the EU, and as a consequence, our commercial exchanges have increased significantly. This high-level dialogue also allows us to discuss long-term priorities for our cooperation, working together on Ukraine's reconstruction, including its transport sector and network. These will be concrete deliverables on Ukraine's path to EU accession.”

Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine has significantly impacted global trade routes, which has led to an unprecedented cooperation to improve Ukraine's connections to the world. The Solidarity Lanes, established in 2022, have allowed Ukraine to export 126 million tonnes of goods valued at around €47 billion and import around 47 million tonnes of goods valued at around €96 billion.

The discussions, led by the Commission’s Director-General Magda Kopczyńska and Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister for Restoration of Ukraine and Minister for Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development, Oleksandr Kubrakov, focused on three cross-cutting priorities: improving connectivity, safety and security, as well as sustainability.  

Russia’s unjustified war of aggression against Ukraine has significantly impacted global trade routes, which led to an unprecedented cooperation to improve Ukraine’s connections to the world. To keep Ukrainian imports and exports moving, the EU, Ukraine and Moldova have set up the Solidarity Lanes, new transport routes via rail, road and inland waterways. Since May 2022, they have allowed Ukraine to export around 126 Mt of goods and to import around 47 Mt of goods it needs, at a value of ca. €47 billion for Ukraine’s exports and around €96 billion for Ukraine’s imports. At yesterday’s transport dialogue, both parties reaffirmed the importance of this initiative and discussed transport infrastructure challenges and priorities for the current situation as well as for Ukraine’s reconstruction. Priorities include investment in rebuilding the destroyed infrastructure, as well as developing efficient and interoperable transport connections and digital technologies, in line with the TEN-T policy.

Both parties acknowledged the need to prioritise transport safety and security in all transport modes, through alignment of regulations, sharing best practice and expertise. This includes, for example, increasing road safety through Ukraine’s participation in the future Eastern Partnership Road Safety Observatory.

Yesterday's transport dialogue focused on cooperation to bring down transport emissions and to reduce dependence on fossil fuels in transport. Both parties agreed in particular on the importance of embracing sustainable solutions for interurban and urban transport to drive the transition towards systems that are safe, accessible, inclusive, affordable, smart, resilient, and sustainable.

Additionally, the meeting addressed the need to prioritise transport safety and security through the alignment of regulations, sharing best practices and expertise, and discussed cooperation on reducing transport emissions and dependence on fossil fuels. Both parties also expressed their intention to continue working towards full membership for Ukraine in the Transport Community Treaty.

Background

Launched in 2018, the EU-Ukraine transport dialogue offers a forum for strategic reflection, policy discussion and further deepening transport relations. Since the last high-level meeting in 2019, EU-UA transport cooperation has dramatically changed, with the establishment of the EU-Ukraine Solidarity Lanes, the signature of the Road Transport Agreement, Ukraine’s accession to the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF), revision of the TEN-T maps and adoption of far-reaching sanctions in the transport sector. Since Russia’s illegal war of aggression against Ukraine, the Commission has placed renewed emphasis on diversifying supply and transport routes, and connectivity and transport relations with Ukraine which have new geopolitical and strategic interest.