BELGRADE – The Permanent Secretariat of the Transport Community has launched three technical assistance programmes to help the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine advance the alignment of their transport legislation and institutions with EU standards. These new initiatives, covering road transport, maritime transport, and railways, will strengthen safety, interoperability, and connectivity across the region.
Over the past two weeks, three kick-off meetings were held with consultants and national authorities, officially opening the work that will run until spring 2026. All three technical assistances are tailored to meet the specific needs of Moldova and Ukraine as observing participants of the Transport Community, supporting their integration with the EU transport market.
The first technical assistance will help Ukraine align its national road transport legislation with key EU standards on vehicle type approval – the framework that ensures vehicles placed on the market are safe, environmentally compliant, and meet technical requirements. This assistance will support Ukraine in adopting a full legislative package consisting of 11 legal acts aligned with EU regulations, a Type Approval Transposition Plan, and an Implementation Roadmap with clear timelines, responsibilities, and costs. It will also include a Regulatory Impact Assessment showing how the reforms will benefit citizens, public administration, the environment, and businesses.
The second technical assistance focuses on strengthening Ukraine’s maritime sector by aligning its legislation with the EU maritime transport acquis. This is essential for improving safety, environmental protection, and the efficiency of maritime operations. By April 2026, texts for 13 legal acts fully aligned with EU maritime legislation will be prepared, together with a Maritime Acquis Transposition Plan and Implementation Roadmap, as well as Regulatory Impact Assessments, explanatory notes, and Tables of Concordance.
The third technical assistance will help the Republic of Moldova fully implement the EU rail transport acquis, focusing on strengthening institutional capacities and improving the processes that ensure safe and efficient rail operations. Through this technical assistance, six internal acts and guidelines for the Railway Agency will be prepared, along with support for licensing railway undertakings and issuing safety certificates and authorisations. A new Supervision Strategy/Plan, Safety Audit Manual, and risk-management methodology will also be developed, along with the identification of gaps in the current legislative framework and recommendations for full EU alignment.
These technical assistance programmes are financed by the European Union under the grant NDICI-GEO-NEAR/2023/452688 to the Permanent Secretariat of the Transport Community, supporting preparatory activities for the progressive involvement of Georgia, the Republic of Moldova, and Ukraine in the activities of the Transport Community.
