During an online press briefing, the Head of the EU Delegation to Ukraine, Ambassador Matti Maasikas, and the Ukrainian Minister of Infrastructure, Vladyslav Kryklii, discussed Ukraine’s progress in developing the inland waterway transport (IWT) law. The briefing was held ahead of the vote at the Ukrainian Parliament (Verkhovna Rada) on the new law. The EU is helping Ukraine develop the legislation based on the EU standards as provided for in the EU–Ukraine Association Agreement.
“The Ukrainian river network has the potential to become a backbone of a modernised Ukrainian transport system. However, reforms are required to do this, and the adoption of a new law would be a first step,” Ambassador Matti Maasikas said.
To support the Ukrainian authorities in implementing the inland waterway reform in Ukraine, the European Commission launched the project ‘Assistance for Dnipro transport development’ in January 2019. The EU is currently assisting Ukraine with drafting the new IWT law, drafting a secondary legislation, and upgrading the capacity and capability of the different public IWT functions of various essential government entities in the sector.
