The European Commission (EC) is allocating EUR126 million to Romania in 2024 under the “solidarity corridors” program to invest in the development of ports facing an increase in Ukrainian exports, according to its website.
“The funds will allow Romania to reduce bottlenecks created by the sudden increase in the number of goods arriving at ports along the Danube and Black Sea coasts. The funding will help port operators to handle and store goods, thus reducing the blockade caused by Russia’s war against Ukraine. “This will contribute to the EU’s ‘solidarity corridors’ action plan without disrupting excessive competition in the single market,” said Margrethe Vestager, the European Commission’s vice-president for competition policy.
According to the report, all logistics companies that operate in Romanian ports located on the EU eastern border (Constanta, Galati, Giurgiu), on the Danube-Black Sea canal (Poarta Alba, Midia and Navodari) and the Sulina Canal, in the “satellite ports” of Constanta (Midia and Mangalia) will be able to receive grants of up to EUR10 million.
Operators will receive the assistance needed to cover the additional costs of equipment and storage facilities to handle cargo deviating from their normal trade routes.
The funding has been made available at the request of Romania, which has notified the European Commission of its plans to support companies in Romanian ports to invest in additional handling or storage capacity to process goods from Ukraine. The EUR126m scheme will run until December 31, 2024.
As reported, thanks to increased shipments from Ukraine, the Black Sea Romanian port of Constanta recorded the highest grain exports in 2023 – 36 million tons, up 50% from a year earlier. Ukrainian grain accounted for about 40% of the total, or 14 million tons, up from 13 million at the end of November and from 8.6 million for the whole of 2022.
Romania is making efforts to increase its transit capacity to bring Ukrainian grain handling to 4 million tons per month, for which it is upgrading rail and road infrastructure in and around the port. Ukraine and Romania agreed to launch an additional anchorage for Ukrainian agricultural products in the port of Constanta.
increase in Ukrainian exports, solidarity corridors, The European Commission
