European Commissioner Adina Valean at the „Railway Forum”

European Commissioner for Transport Adina Valean participated online, on Friday, 15 March, at the “Railway Forum” in Chisinau, being invited by Minister Andrei Spinu. The Forum is organised by the Moldovan Railways together with the Ministry of Infrastructure and Regional Development and the French Development Agency.

This forum brings together international financial institutions, private sector representatives and state-owned railway companies to discuss the modernisation and sustainable development of the railway sector in Moldova.

In her speech, Adina Valean stated: “Since the beginning of my mandate, as a Romanian politician and European Commissioner, I have been a great supporter and, I believe, a true friend of Moldova. Having the transport portfolio in the European Commission, which is essential for the good functioning of the economy, I have started the de facto integration of Moldova into the European Union through infrastructure.”

Furthermore, she underlined: “We have achieved a premiere for Moldova – for the first time, together with Ukraine, it has been associated to the European Integration Mechanism, the largest EU infrastructure fund. This means that Moldova can take money, especially for railways, from funds that only EU Member States could access. The first money from this mechanism has already been allocated to Moldova, for road projects at the border with Romania – Ungheni, Leuseni and Giurgiulesti.” The Commissioner congratulated the Moldovan authorities for their efforts in implementing the projects.

Commissioner Adina Valean also stressed that Moldovans are not alone and that “at least transport measures never overlook Moldova.” She spoke about investments in railways supported by the European Commission, with a budget in which international financial institutions are also participating: “One example is the €20 million grant from our external policy instrument which, together with a €12 million loan from the EBRD, will support the rehabilitation of the north-south railway axis. We need as many examples of such projects as possible, and I hope that some of these will materialise after today’s discussions.”