EU invests EUR 126 million in Romanian ports to support Ukrainian exports

The European Commission is allocating EUR 126 million to Romania under the Solidarity Roads program to improve the infrastructure of ports facing the growth of Ukrainian exports. According to the European Commission, these investments are intended for logistics companies operating in Romanian ports and can reach up to EUR 10 million.

The ports located on the EU's eastern border (Constanta, Galati, Giurgiu), on the Danube-Black Sea Canal (Poarta Alba, Mida and Navodari) and the Sulin Canal, as well as the "satellite ports" of Constanta (Mida and Mangalia) are the focus of attention.

The funding is provided at the request of Romania, which has informed the European Commission of its plans to support companies in Romanian ports and invest in additional loading and storage capacity to handle goods from Ukraine.

The operators will receive assistance to cover the additional costs of equipment and warehousing to handle cargoes that deviate from their normal trade routes.

The project with a budget of 126 million euros will be implemented until December 31, 2024.

"This investment will help Romania to overcome the difficulties caused by the sudden increase in the number of goods arriving at the ports along the Danube and Black Sea coast. This funding will facilitate the handling and storage of goods, which will help to ease the blockade caused by Russia's war against Ukraine. This step is in line with the EU's Solidarity Roads strategy and will avoid distortions of competition in the internal market," said Margrethe Vestager, Vice-President of the European Commission for Competition Policy.