EU support for better transport connections in Eastern Europe, Ukraine and Moldova

This week, the European Commission handed over grant agreements for EU transport infrastructure funding in Poland, Slovakia, Romania, Ukraine and Moldova.

The funding, announced in July 2025, stems from the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) supporting cross border projects and the work of the EU-Ukraine Solidarity Lanes.

In Poland, four projects receive EU funding of almost EUR 452 million, supporting key transport projects across the country focusing on developing high-speed cross- border connections, ensuring interoperability and improving port capacity:

• Polish section of Rail Baltica, connecting Poland with the Baltics (294 million EUR);
• Mikołów-Czechia border section (18,4 million EUR);
• Deployment of ERTMS system on the core TEN-T network in seven voivodships (94,9 million EUR);
• Widening of the fairway section to the ports of Świnoujście, Szczecin, and Police (44,3 million EUR).

In Slovakia, four projects receive EUR 135 million, supporting rail cross-border connectivity between Eastern Slovakia, Ukraine and Czechia and improving rail interoperability.

• Modernisation of the Zilina-Kosice railway line (96.7 million EUR);
• Upgrade of key cross-border connection Kosice-Cierna and Tisau (27.3 million EUR);
• Enhancing rail safety and interoperability of trains on TEN-T network (11 million EUR for two projects).

In Romania, Ukraine and Moldova, three key rail projects will receive EU funding:

• EUR 73,5 million for the development of the European standard gauge line connecting Poland to Lviv in Ukraine;
• EUR 45 million for the development of an important railway axis in Romania, linking the South (Port of Constanța and Bucharest) to Ukraine and Moldova in the North;
• EUR 33 million for a joint cross-border project between Romania and Moldova, upgrading the Iași-Ungheni railway section, including the first-ever electrified railway section in Moldova.

4th EU-Ukraine Transport Dialogue

On 6 November, the EU and Ukraine also met for the 4^th EU-Ukraine Transport Dialogue in Uzhhorod, Ukraine. Chaired by Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister Oleksii Kuleba and the Commission's Director-General for Transport Magda Kopczyńska, participants took stock of shared priorities for transport cooperation across all modes, focusing on the review of reform progress and further steps to ensure alignment with the EU transport acquis.

Representatives of the European Commission, Romania, Moldova and Ukraine also met today in Uzhhorod continuing their work together to improve regional connectivity through the Solidarity Lanes.

More information

The Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) is the main instrument to finance the development of the trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T). For the next financial period (2028-2034), the Commission has proposed to double the previous CEF budget - bringing over EUR 51 billion in new funding for cross-border connectivity, including high-speed rail and military mobility.

Launched in 2018, the EU-Ukraine transport dialogue offers a forum for strategic reflection, policy discussion and further deepening transport relations. Since Russia's illegal war of aggression against Ukraine, the Commission has placed renewed emphasis on diversifying supply and transport routes, and connectivity and transport relations with Ukraine, in particular through the EU-Ukraine Solidarity Lanes initiative.