Moldova and Romania to Expand Cooperation on Road Transport Infrastructure

The Republic of Moldova will begin negotiations with Romania on a new intergovernmental agreement concerning the construction, operation and maintenance of transport infrastructure of strategic importance to both countries.

The relevant advisory opinion was approved on 10 June by the Foreign Policy and European Integration Committee of the Parliament of Moldova.

The new document is expected to establish an expanded legal and organisational framework for the implementation of joint infrastructure projects. One of the key facilities will be the road bridge across the Prut River connecting Ungheni in the Republic of Moldova with the Romanian locality of the same name.

The new bridge is of strategic importance for Moldova’s integration into the European transport system. It will provide a direct connection to Romania’s motorway network and the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T).

The new agreement will replace the document signed in 2022, which laid the groundwork for launching the project. The updated framework will broaden bilateral cooperation, including the introduction of coordinated border control mechanisms aimed at facilitating passenger and freight traffic.

The agreement is also expected to improve access to preferential financing from the European Union.

The bridge across the Prut River will be connected to the final section of Romania’s A8 motorway, linking Târgu Mureș, Iași and Ungheni.

On the Moldovan side, the project is expected to become the starting point of the future Ungheni–Chișinău–Odesa motorway. Its development is viewed as an important component of a regional transport network capable of strengthening connectivity between Romania, Moldova and Ukraine.

Another important element is the planned development of an intermodal railway terminal in Berești, near Ungheni. The terminal is expected to integrate road and rail transport, including routes using both European and broad-gauge railway systems, and enhance Moldova’s role as a transit hub between the European Union and Eastern Europe.

Following the completion of negotiations and the signing of the agreement, the document will have to be ratified by the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova.

Comment by the Institute of Danube Research

According to Vitaliy Barvinenko, Director of the Institute of Danube Research, the development of the transport corridor through Ungheni will be important not only for Moldova and Romania, but also for Ukraine.

“This is not merely about the construction of another bridge across the Prut River. In effect, a new transport axis is being created, linking Romania’s motorway network, Moldova’s logistics infrastructure and the prospective corridor towards Odesa.

For Ukraine, it is particularly important that such projects are developed in coordination with the modernisation of border crossing points, railway routes and logistics hubs. This creates additional opportunities for trade, transit and the diversification of transport routes in the Black Sea and Danube region.

At the same time, the implementation of such initiatives requires coordinated planning involving all interested parties. Infrastructure must be developed as an integrated system — from motorways and bridges to terminals, customs procedures and access roads,” Vitaliy Barvinenko noted.