EU Strategy for the Danube Region
The European Union Strategy for the Danube Region (EUSDR) was adopted on December 8, 2010 by the European Commission.
The EUSDR aims to provide the infrastructure, environmental, socio-economic and institutional development of the region.
Geographically the EUSDR concerns 14 countries:
- EU members: Germany (Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria), Austria, the Slovak Republic, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovenia, Romania and Bulgaria;
- non-EU members - Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine.
The Ministry of Infrastructure take part in priority field of activity 1 – improvement of transport situation and development of a single transport complex of listed below spheres:
1a) Inland waterways (coordinators - Austria, Romania)
1b) Rail, road and air transport (Slovenia, Serbia)
Priority purposes:
- provide the navigation on the Danube River during 300 days per year by 2020;
- increase the cargo transport on the river by 20% by 2020 compared to 2010;
- provide rail connections between all the capitals of the region by 2030 (estimated speed of trains 120 km/h).
The Coordination Center for UA participation in EUSDR implementation was established on September 21, 2011 according to the resolution of Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine № 994 and chaired by the First Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine.
The Ministry of Infrastructure defined following priority projects, which were offered to include into the list of main projects:
- Within the priority 1a):
1) Creation of River Information Services on the Ukrainian part of Danube River;
The General purpose of the project is an inland waterway transport expansion within European transport corridors. Project objective is to harmonize functioning of logistics, transport and traffic.
2) Setting up an integrated ship waste management on the Ukrainian part of Danube River;
The General purpose of the project is to prevent pollution of the coastal area through water collection and treatment with the help of water crafts.
3) Construction of the car ferry Izmail (Ukraine) - Tulcea (Romania) and the coastal road Complex;
The General purpose of the project is to develop effective multimodal terminals at river ports along Danube and its navigable tributaries in order to combine inland road, rail, and waterways effectively.
4) Construction of deepwater fairway Danube – Black Sea in the Ukrainian Danube Delta;
The General purpose of the project is to increase the cargo transport on the Danube river by 20% by 2020 compared to 2010. Overcome obstacles in navigation on Danube, taking into consideration distinctions of every Danube part and its navigable tributaries, and also to promote effective management of inland water transport infrastructure to 2015.
VI. Within the priority 1b):
1) Construction of highway "Odessa - Reni" (length – 261 km) to the 1st category parameters with the bridge over Dniester estuary (length – 5709,3 km);
The General purpose of the project is to build a modern 4-lane road, to provide development of transport infrastructure, socio-economic growth of south-west part of the region and Odesa oblast as a whole.