Transport Integration of Europe: An Opportunity for Ukrainian Industry – A View by Alona Lebedieva
Alona Lebedieva
Eastern Europe is making a new step towards deeper economic and transport integration. On 3 December, Greece, Bulgaria and Romania signed a Memorandum of Understanding to strengthen cooperation in the development of key transport corridors. The document provides for the creation of the “Black Sea – Aegean Sea” Platform for political coordination of the modernisation of railway, road and water routes between the three EU member states. Such partnership enhances mobility, competitiveness and security resilience across the entire region.
“The European Commission has emphasised the strategic nature of this initiative: it is about forming a strong north–south corridor that has the potential to connect transport flows from the Aegean Sea through the Danube to the Black Sea. Regular political and technical interaction, alignment of national investment programmes and support from European institutions are intended to accelerate the implementation of priority TEN-T projects,” notes Alona Lebedieva, owner of the Ukrainian multi-profile industrial-investment group of companies Aurum Group.
In parallel, the EU is developing another dimension of transport integration — with Ukraine. Recently, the reconstruction of the Yahodyn road crossing on the Polish-Ukrainian border was completed as part of a joint project under the “Solidarity Lanes” initiative. The project receives over €62 million in grant support from CEF, as well as technical assistance from JASPERS (EIB) and opportunities for co-financing through EIB lending instruments.
“The upgraded infrastructure — from road surface and lighting to safety barriers and traffic organisation — increases the throughput capacity of the crossing and helps transport cross the border between Ukraine and the EU faster and without interruption,” says Lebedieva.
On the Polish side, the construction of the S12 expressway continues, as does preparation of a freight terminal near Dorohusk. Similar modernisation works are already under way at other checkpoints — in Krakivets and Rava-Ruska — including the creation of additional parking areas and improvement of access roads.
“All these projects form the foundation of Ukraine’s future full-fledged integration into the common European transport area. They not only ease logistics during wartime but also lay down the infrastructure basis for restoring trade, economic growth and Ukraine’s participation in regional corridors from the Baltic to the Aegean Sea,” stresses Alona Lebedieva.
She also emphasises that Ukraine already has a modern tool for such integration — the National Transport Model, developed in 2023 and significantly updated in 2024–2025 with EU support. It is one of the most ambitious analytical projects in our infrastructure sector, now covering not only Ukrainian routes but the entire TEN-T network in the EU. The model enables forecasting of transport volumes beyond Ukraine, planning investments and forming logistics chains that include railways and seaports. Essentially, it is a model of demand for transport services that opens opportunities for the Ukrainian sector to embed itself into fully-fledged European transport corridors in the near future.
“That is why today it is crucial for Ukraine not only to participate in such initiatives but to be an active co-creator of strategic decisions that will shape the transport map of the continent for decades to come,” Lebedieva concludes.
If we claim our place in the European family, then in transport policy too we must act as a family member — not standing aside, but shaping joint solutions and demanding appropriate opportunities for the Ukrainian economy.
Alona Lebedieva
Aurum Group
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