EU: two years of Solidarity Lanes have brought Europe, Ukraine and Moldavia closer together

Two years ago, the EU Commission, along with Ukraine and Moldavia, created solidarity lanes “to help improve the EU–Ukraine–Moldova transport routes in response to Russia’s illegal full-scale invasion of Ukraine”. Initially established to bypass Russia’s Black Sea blockade of Ukraine’s grain exports, today the Solidarity Lanes “have evolved – as specified by the EU Commission today – and cover trade across all sectors. They allow Ukraine and Moldova to export all types of goods to world markets while also ensuring crucial imports reach Ukraine. Long-term, they will also play a pivotal role in Ukraine’s reconstruction and further integration into the EU single market”. So far, these Solidarity Lanes “have helped Ukraine export more than 136 million tonnes of goods, such as grain, ores and steel, and import more than 52 million tonnes of essential merchandises, including fuel, vehicles, fertilisers as well as military and humanitarian assistance”. The Solidarity Lanes pass through the Danube region, Poland, the Baltics, and the Adriatic region via rail, road, and inland waterways. Though Ukraine’s Black Sea lane, created in Autumn 2023, is essential, the Danube and the Polish-Baltic lane too remain key for all imports while the Adriatic is particularly relevant for Ukraine’s non-agricultural exports. So far, over €2 billion has been mobilised by the Commission and international financial institutions.
Valentina Bombelli