15/12/2023 (Agence Europe) – The European Investment Bank signed, on Friday 15 December, a €41.2 million loan agreement with Moldova to improve internal transport connections and strengthen Solidarity Lanes for Ukraine (see EUROPE 13314/19). This loan will be supplemented by an EU grant of €12 million. “Some 128 kilometres of track on the North-South axis will be renovated, with great benefits for the Moldovan economy”, said a delighted Adina Vălean, the European Commissioner for Transport. In addition to transporting Ukrainian grain - more than 58 million tonnes of grain, oilseeds and related products have transited through these routes since May 2022 - these routes are the main option for Ukraine to export all of its other goods and import what it needs, such as fuel and humanitarian assistance. This decision will help to strengthen the Danube corridor. (AD)