News on Danube Solidarity Lane

The Danube Commission has continued to carry out activities for facilitating freight transport between EU and non-EU countries through the use of Danube River and sea ports in order to seize the untapped potential for transporting cargo in the Rhine-Danube TEN-T corridor.

In the first part of October 2022, the Danube Commission organized a meeting with the Romanian Authorities in the field (AFDJ and ANR), with participation of DG MOVE. The main issues discussed referred to pilotage and the procedural aspects for hiring additional pilots, the situation of the traffic on the Sulina canal and the need for coordination between the RO and UA authorities, the market situation of the cargo flows on the Black Sea Corridor and Danube Corridor.

The participants also approached several subjects related to expected traffic: wintertime traffic on downstream, the investment in infrastructure, and the possibility to turn to night navigation.

Both DC and DG MOVE highlighted the need to continue to increase the traffic capacity of the canal, taking into account the inputs from market stakeholders that indicate the preference traders give to COP and considering the latest developments in the war and the widely expected expiration of the Istanbul Agreement after 19 November.

The situation in the ports of Galati, Braila, Orlivka – Isaccea, Sulina, Giurgiulesti, Constanta was also analyzed, from the perspective of cargo flows, traffic, border crossing difficulties, interconnectivity with railway lines.