Adoption of draft law on inland water transport important for implementation of Ukraine-EU association agreement - EU Ambassador to Ukraine
Head of the EU Delegation to Ukraine Matti Maasikas says that the adoption of the draft law "On Inland Water Transport" is an important milestone in the implementation of the transport chapter of the Association Agreement between the EU and Ukraine.
In his letter addressed to Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Dmytro Razumkov, the text of which is at the disposal of the Interfax-Ukraine agency, Maasikas stressed that the adoption of that bill would also be an important result for the upcoming Ukraine-EU summit on October 6.
"Sustainable transport development is an important part of European Green Deal, and this sector has significant potential to contribute to the economic growth of the country and pave the way for attracting much-needed investments, both private and from international financial institutions," Maasikas stressed.
He also noted that the potential for inland water transport in Ukraine, and notably the Dnipro River between Kyiv and the Black sea, is significant, and its development would contribute to greening transport and reduce the modal share of road transport, while removing bottlenecks on the rail network during the harvest season.
"However, what is needed first is a stable legal framework. The adoption of this draft law before the upcoming summit would be a significant milestone in our cooperation in this sector, aimed at developing an efficient, safe and sustainable transport system in Ukraine," the ambassador stressed.
As reported, the American Chamber of Commerce is urging MPs to keep business proposals when the inland waterway bill is passed.
Earlier, the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Transport and Infrastructure Issues unanimously decided to recommend to the parliament to adopt at the second reading and in general, draft law No. 1182-1-d "On Inland Water Transport" dated January 17, 2020.