Izmail Joins the Formation of EAST GATE — a New Cross-Border Association of Ukraine, Romania, Moldova and Bulgaria

The Izmail Urban Territorial Community has joined the formation of the European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation EAST GATE, designed to bring together territories and public institutions from Ukraine, Romania, the Republic of Moldova and Bulgaria.

The signing ceremony of the founding documents took place on 11 September in Eforie Nord, Romania. The Izmail community was represented by Aliona Nerutsa, Director of the municipal institution “Izmail Investment Promotion Bureau.”

Local and regional authorities, universities, research institutions and other public organisations from the four countries are involved in establishing EAST GATE. The cooperation area is expected to cover around 150,000 square kilometres with a population of more than 10 million people, extending from the Carpathians to the Lower Danube and the Black Sea.

The participants also signed the Constanța Declaration, which sets out a common vision for the further development of cross-border cooperation and stronger representation of territorial communities in dialogue with European institutions.

The priorities of EAST GATE include cross-border transport infrastructure, economic development, access to European funding programmes, environmental protection and the conservation of Danube Delta biodiversity, sustainable tourism, education and vocational training. Particular attention will be paid to preparing and implementing joint projects, including within European territorial cooperation programmes.

For Izmail, participation in this format is especially significant given its geographical location in the Ukrainian part of the Lower Danube. The city is one of the key transport, port and economic centres of the Ukrainian Danube region, and the new cooperation mechanism may create additional opportunities for joint projects with Romanian, Moldovan and Bulgarian partners.

Izmail Mayor Andrii Abramchenko stressed that participation in EAST GATE opens new opportunities for finding partners, exchanging experience, attracting additional resources and implementing cross-border initiatives.

Comment by the Institute of Danube Research

The Institute of Danube Research notes that the importance of EAST GATE for the Ukrainian Danube region goes beyond traditional formats of cooperation between cities and regions.

A European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation is an institutional mechanism established under EU law specifically to facilitate cross-border, transnational and interregional cooperation. Such a format makes it possible to move from declarations and bilateral contacts towards the systematic preparation and implementation of joint projects.

For Izmail and the entire Lower Danube region, particularly promising areas may include transport connectivity, modernisation of border and port infrastructure, logistics development, protection of the Danube Delta, water resource management, tourism, civil protection and economic recovery.

It is especially important that EAST GATE brings together two EU Member States — Romania and Bulgaria — and two EU candidate countries — Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova. This creates an institutional bridge between communities within the European Union and those of countries currently advancing through the European integration process.

For the Ukrainian Danube region, this model may become particularly relevant in the context of post-war recovery. A significant share of the Lower Danube’s infrastructure, environmental and transport challenges are inherently cross-border and cannot be effectively addressed solely at the level of one state or an individual municipality.

At the same time, the practical impact of participation in EAST GATE will depend on how quickly, following completion of the organisational stage, its members develop a concrete portfolio of joint projects with clearly identified funding sources, partners and implementation timelines. The transition from institutional establishment to project-based cooperation will determine the real value of this new format for Izmail and the broader Lower Danube region.

The Institute of Danube Research considers Izmail’s participation in EAST GATE to be consistent with the strategic objective of strengthening ties between the Ukrainian Danube region and the territories of Romania, Moldova and Bulgaria, as well as with the gradual formation of a common development space in the Lower Danube and Black Sea region.