USAID Economic Resilience Activity (ERA) grantee the NGO Western Ukrainian Resource Center, has commenced its project to optimize railway border procedures to accelerate grain exports to EU countries. On December 12, representatives of the NGO and ERA met with the Zakarpattia Oblast Military Administration and Ukrainian Railways. As part of the grant initiative, procedures at three railway border crossing points (BCPs) — Mostyska, Vadul-Siret, and Chop — are being improved, with Chop serving as the pilot site for the activities to be first implemented.
The main goal of the project is to enhance cross-border cooperation between Ukraine and the EU, promoting increased exports and harmonizing border crossing procedures with European standards.
After the blockade of Black Sea ports, the western railway border crossings became critical for export flows. However, their throughput capacity proved to be insufficient. The volume of grain exports increased significantly. While approximately 79,000 tons were transported through Zakarpattia in 2022, this figure rose to nearly 2 million tons in 2023. At times, the border crossing wait time ranged from 2 to 15 days. The project therefore aims at addressing these challenges.
The modernization of BCPs infrastructure, as well as improvements to technical and customs procedures, will contribute to strengthening Ukraine’s export potential and its integration into the European Union.
