The European Union (EU) plans to invest EUR59 million (USD67.4 million) in modernising the locks on the Danube-Black Sea and Midia Navodari–Porte canals in Romania.

The canals link the Black Sea port of Constanța with the River Danube in the southeast of the country; they form part of the Trans-European Transport Network, linking the Rhine and the Danube.

The work will make it possible to increase vessel traffic by almost 50 percent, while improving navigation safety and protecting the surrounding areas from flooding, said the EC.

The commissioner for regional policy, Corina Creţu, said: “This project will enable better exploitation of the enormous trade potential of river transport.

“The entire economy of southeast Romania will benefit from this but, in broader terms, so will the economy of the Danube macro-region, which links nine EU member states and five neighbouring countries.”

The works are scheduled for completion in 2021.

europa.eu

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