EU to Allocate Euro3.5 b to Georgia for Infrastructure Projects
By Tea Mariamidze
Friday, January 18
The money will be spent on the arrangement of roads and rail lines, ports, airports, logistic centers, and border checkpoints.
Out of Euro13 billion, Georgia will get Euro3.5 billion for the implementation of infrastructure projects.
Georgia’s Foreign Minister, David Zalkaliani says the decision of the EU is very important for the country.
“This is an important decision since Georgia’s integration into European structures is the main priority of our foreign policy…We welcome this move,” Zalkaliani stated.
European Commission says that some projects in EaP countries are planned to be completed in 2020, some – in 2030. In order to develop economic growth in the Eastern Partnership countries, the European Commission and the World Bank have developed a Trans-European Transport Network Investment Action Plan, which aims to carry out projects in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine.
EU Commissioner for Neighborhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn said that the implementation of the Trans-European Transport Network Investment Action Plan will bring tangible results for the population of the region.
“The completion of the Indicative TEN-T Investment Action Plan is a joint commitment to deliver tangible results for citizens across the region. The Plan will assist decision-makers in prioritizing strategic investments in transport infrastructure with the aim of completing the TEN-T network defined as one of the 20 deliverables for 2020 in the Joint Declaration of the last Eastern Partnership Summit in Brussels,” he stated.
The Commission added that the projects included in the investment plan were identified together with the Eastern Partnership countries and with the assistance of the International Financial Institutions.
“Along infrastructural investments, the presented investment plan aims to bring forward key reforms for the transport sector and improve road safety in the region. The development of the project on the TEN-T is expected to foster regional development through improving access to economic opportunities, harnessing the benefits of industrial agglomeration and increasing market competition,” the official information, released by the European Commission reads.