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Strengthening the critical infrastructure along the North-South axis in Central and Eastern Europe under the current geoeconomic and geopolitical realities is a prerequisite for unlocking the region's full economic potential, as well as for ensuring military mobility on the eastern flank of the North Atlantic Alliance, from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea, Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca on Tuesday told the "Better Connected through Connecting Europe Facility" conference.
"Having in view the current strategic background, the Three Seas Initiative gains even greater importance for increasing our resilience. Romania's hosting the Summit gives us the opportunity to strengthen the Initiative's tools. The upcoming Bucharest Summit will focus on concrete deliverables. The purpose is to gain political support for the most feasible projects, which will have a significant impact on the entire region and will contribute to our development and security," Ciuca declared.
"It is a period during which the EU's interconnectivity and interdependence open both new opportunities and challenges. The intersection in Romania of two major transport routes, via the Danube and the Black Sea, gives the entire Union a considerable strategic edge. Both routes represent important nodes in the supply chains for Europe, as well as an essential point of contact in the connections with the south of Europe, as well as with the eastern neighborhood," said the prime minister.
He also stressed that in the current global situation where global logistics routes are being rearranged and redesigned and the resilience of regional and global connectivity is being put to the test, ensuring flexible and alternative transport routes must remain an EU priority.
The head of the Executive said that the Romanian side supports stepping up ties and interconnectivity with the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine, both as key points in the development of the European transport network, and as a way to support the two countries in their EU accession process.
"Against this background, I would like to welcome the Republic of Moldova's recent decision to join the Connecting Europe Facility program. It's an important step for this country's rapprochment to the internal market by anchoring it to the interconnected networks of the Union," Ciuca added.
Last but not least, he emphasized the crucial role of mobility projects such as Via Carpathia and Rail-2-Sea, emphasizing that following an analysis at government level, Romania will increase its contribution to the Three Seas Initiative Investment Fund, with the amount being decided by the coalition and provided by the government of Romania. AGERPRES
