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During a speech earlier this week at a conference co-organised with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) about financing Solidarity Lanes - the new logistical routes for Ukraine, Transport Commissioner Adina Vălean confirmed future EU investment in Solidarity Lanes to Ukraine and Moldova.

The Commissioner noted: ‘The Solidarity Lanes are now almost 7 months old. They have carried more than 17 million tonnes of cereals, plus many other products - from humanitarian aid to fuel, animal feed, and fertilisers. It is no exaggeration to say that the Solidarity Lanes have become a lifeline for Ukraine's economy. All EU Member States have helped with the Solidarity Lanes, but geography dictated that more responsibility would go to some in particular’, thanking Poland, Slovakia, and Romania ‘for their hard work and commitment’.  ’We have done what we can with the resources we have’ said the Commissioner, but ‘we must go further’. That is why the Commission, the EBRD, the European Investment Bank and the World Bank announced a €1 billion package of financing specifically for the Solidarity Lanes.

The Commissioner referred to the opening of the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) instrument to Ukraine and Moldova, aiming to support cross-border projects to remove bottlenecks. However, she added, ‘we are under time pressure to make sure the money can flow rapidly to start the most urgent projects.’ That is why she encouraged ministers from Romania, Poland Ukraine, and Moldova, also present that the conference, ’to finalise their agreement on a short list of projects in the next few weeks, because these projects need to be tabled before January 18th when the ongoing CEF call will close.’

Source: European Commission