Moldovan parliament speaker inspects construction site of Union Highway, due to connect Moldova with Romania

Romania is an example for Moldova in how it has succeeded in attracting European funds and turning them into visible projects. Parliament Speaker Igor Grosu has made statements to this effect, who visited the Turbion-type road junction in Romania, where the Moldova Highway (A7) and the Union Highway (A8) will intersect. He congratulated Romania on the achievement of getting about  17 billion euros on behalf of the European Commission.

‘’What do roads mean? What do highways mean? They mean more businesses, a better flow of goods and timely deliveries. We are at a mega-site, at the future intersection of two highways. A7 will connect Romania through Iasi and via the bridge which is built in Ungheni, while A8 comes from Bacau and goes towards northern Moldova. Romania is the best example: it has succeeded in attracting European funds and transforming them into visibly tangible results,’’ said Igor Grosu.

The turbion-type road junction spans an area of about 300 hectares, and the work is ongoing around-the-clock.

According to the Romanian government, Romania got 16.68 billion euros in European funding through the new Security Action for Europe (SAFE) instrument— the second largest amount awarded to a member state after Poland. In the infrastructure component, Romania proposed projects with mixed use, both civil and military, including the ends of the highways in the northeastern part of the country: A7 and A8, the Pascani–Suceava–Siret and Pascani–Iasi–Ungheni segments.

‘’We have to do the same, with European funds, as our Romanian brothers succeed. We congratulate them for having attracted substantial amounts and transformed them into concrete investments,’’ emphasized Igor Grosu.

The Moldova Highway (A7) is a strategic project of Romania, which will connect the Moldova region with the rest of the country. The route will have a total length of 319 km, between Ploiesti and Pascani.

The Union Highway (A8) is meant to connect Romania and Moldova through the Targu Neamt–Iasi–Ungheni–Chisinau route (with a possible extension towards Odessa). On the Romanian territory alone, the Iasi–Targu Neamt–Ungheni section will exceed 90 km and will include 55 bridges, 2 tunnels, and 9 road junctions. The bridge at Ungheni, an integral part of the project, will be equipped with a joint border point between the two states.

Cross-border projects, such as the Union Highway and the Ungheni bridge, are regarded as priorities for the interconnection of Romania and Moldova and the speeding up of the European integration.