Romanian transport minister Sorin Grindeanu announced on June 6 that he had discussed with representatives of the Bulgarian Government about the Fast Danube project, "a vital project for the entire European Union, in the context of the conflict in Ukraine."

"The Danube must be navigable throughout the year to ensure the necessary flow of goods and raw materials to and from the European Union. A large part of the grain from Ukraine can be transported on the Danube, which makes the Fast Danube Project more importantly," he added, quoted by Bursa.

The environmental procedure, which is to be initiated, must be completed in the next six months to be able to send to the European Commission the application for financing the works," Sorin Grindeanu wrote on Facebook.

He added that there is currently a 2-month delay compared to the new mutually agreed timetable for 2022.

"I have drawn attention to the fact that any delay may jeopardize the completion of the project by the end of 2022, which will jeopardize funding for the design and execution of works and will bring additional costs to the Romanian side," the minister of transport added.

(Photo: Iluzia | Dreamstime.com)

andrei@romania-insider.com