A single highway: Moldova gets financing to connect with the EU and Ukraine

Last Tuesday, Moldova took the first step towards the construction of the Iaşi-Ungheni-Chisinau-Odesa highway by signing an agreement with the European Investment Bank (EIB) to finance this strategic project, which is intended to become an important transport corridor to connect Moldova with the European Union.

According to Euractiv, the agreement provides for financing the pre-feasibility study and feasibility study required for the implementation of the highway project.

The Minister of Infrastructure and Regional Development of Moldova, Andrei Spinu, noted that the Ungheni-Chisinau-Odesa highway will contribute to the economic and industrial development of the three countries, promoting trade, economic and social development, and will bring Moldova closer to the EU at the infrastructure level.

Regarding the timeline, the minister said that the pre-feasibility study should be completed by 2024 and the feasibility study by the end of 2025, expressing the need to quickly recover the lost time.

Andrei Spinu emphasized the importance of moving on to the next stages, such as design, resource identification, tendering, and project initiation, for the effective implementation of the project.

It is also worth noting that the EIB has allocated a €41.2 million loan to Moldova to improve internal transport routes, and has provided about €100 million to Ukraine to reconstruct facilities in 18 regions of the country, including areas adjacent to the front line and previously liberated territories.