Transport Minister Grindeanu: Infrastructure - an area of strategic importance for Romania

Infrastructure is an area of strategic importance for Romania, carrying a host of opportunities in the next decade, Deputy Prime Minister and Transport Minister Sorin Grindeanu told the Italy - Romania Economic Forum held in Rome at the headquarters of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on the sidelines of the joint meeting of the governments of Romania and Italy, according Agerpres.

The event was also attended by Italian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Antonio Tajani, Romanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Luminita Odobescu, and Romanian Minister of Economy Radu Oprea.

"Infrastructure was included among the priority themes of the forum, because it is a field of strategic importance for Romania, but also because it carries a host of opportunities in the next decade," Grindeanu said, according to the translation provided by the organizers.

He made a brief review of the Romanian infrastructure priority projects for the coming 10 years, which are in for important national allocations, but also for European funding of over 13 billion euros until 2027.

"In road transportation, Romania has more than 1,900 km of highway and expressway projects to complete as part of the TEN-T network until 2030. We are talking about major projects to cross the Carpathian Mountains, running along the west-east and south-north axes, which will connect the main urban and economic centers in different regions of Romania. One of them is the A8 Motorway, with an estimated cost of 6.5 billion euros, which will facilitate west-east access to Romania's third largest city, Iasi. (...) An important project for improving cross-border connectivity is the completion of the A7 Motorway - which will connect the border with Ukraine to Bucharest and the Port of Constanta," Grindeanu said.

Also, he added, Romania's strategic plan provides for the construction of 1,350 km of express road and bypasses.

The Transport minister pointed out that investments in the railway sector are equally important and envisage new network modernization works, the implementation of traffic management solutions, and the purchase of electric rolling stock.

"The necessary railway electrification works amount to approximately 1.7 billion euros. (...) No less important, especially in the current geopolitical context, is the modernization of the corridors that ensure the connection of the Port of Constanta with the borders with Ukraine and the Republic Moldova, with a length of 550 km and an estimated value of 6 billion euros. And speaking of Ukraine - the Romanian authorities were quick to respond to the needs of revamping the infrastructure that ensured additional transport capacities for this country's grain exports," Minister Grindeanu explained.

He emphasized that Romania has a strategic position in Ukraine's reconstruction process, and the Romanian ports of Galati and Constanta can be converted into basic logistic hubs for the companies involved.

"The Port of Constanta, the deepest Black Sea port, is connected to the borders with Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova through the Danube - Black Sea Canal and by rail and road routes. We are also at the center of the multimodal corridors that will connect Ukraine with the rest of Europe, such as the north-south multimodal corridor that will connect the Baltic - Black - Aegean Seas, or the Black Sea multimodal corridor that will connect Odesa - Reni - Constanta - Burgas," Sorin Grindeanu said.

This multitude of projects, the minister emphasized, naturally represents a point of interest both for large construction companies and for heavyweight international operators of transport services.

"Romania's ability to deliver and complete complex projects has upped competition in the market. We have a responsibility, both towards the Romanian economy and the European economy, to complete all these projects on time," Grindeanu concluded.