The first measurements carried out by the authorities in the territorial waters of Romania after the dredging of the Bastroe Canal confirm that the flows have not changed compared to the statistical flows of the last 10-20 years in the area, but for the general conclusion Measurements are also needed by the Ukrainian side, for which written consent is expected, Tanchos Barna, Minister of the Environment, said on Thursday.

Tanchos Barna: Romania will never accept works that affect the biodiversity of the Danube Delta

On Thursday, the Minister of the Environment presented to the government the first results of measurements carried out by the Romanian authorities after the dredging of the Bastroe Canal, and that today’s biodiversity in the Danube Delta has not been affected by these works.

• “In recent weeks, colleagues from ANAR and ARBDD carried out the first measurements, which were completed last week, on the flow of the Danube in Kilia and in the areas where we have access to the territorial waters of Romania, and where we could, we went to the other side of the Danube with the agreement of the Ukrainian partners and neighbors
• These measurements confirm that flows have not changed compared to statistical flows over the past 10-20 years in the area. It also confirms that there are no significant changes caused by dredging in the 14 cross-sections, but it should be emphasized that these measurements cover 14 cross-sections of almost 100 kilometers in length.” said the minister.

He emphasized that measurements in the territorial waters of Ukraine are also necessary for a general conclusion.

• “In order to have a general conclusion, we need the consent of the Ukrainian side, which was promised and verbally confirmed this week in a bilateral meeting at the Ministry of Transport, and we are waiting for written confirmation of this agreement, so that the 3 ships prepared by the Ministry of Transport will complete this depth measurement and calculation procedure costs and will be able to draw final conclusions.
• The effect does not come immediately. Today, these works do not affect biodiversity in the Danube Delta, and Romania will never accept works that affect biodiversity,” Tanchos Barna said.

Can Romania ask for compensation? The decision – after the completion of measurements in Ukraine

When asked if the possibility for Romania to demand compensation after the completion of these measurements is being analyzed, the environment minister said that final conclusions are needed.

• “We have not analyzed this possibility because we do not have final conclusions. We need the written consent of the Ukrainian side to take measurements, calculate the current costs and see if there really have been significant changes in depth in the areas we are talking about, and after that we will analyze all the necessary measures.” , the Minister of Ecology also stated on Thursday.

Ukraine has suggested that it will stop any form of dredging in Chile and Bastro until the situation is resolved

State Secretary of the Ministry of Transport Yonel Skriostianu announced on Tuesday after a meeting regarding the Bastro canal that the Ukrainian side has committed to stop any dredging work until the situation is clarified, and measurements will begin on March 15. will take place according to the agreed calendar. The delegation of the European Commission also took part in the tripartite meeting.

• “The good news is that Ukraine has assumed that it will stop any form of dredging in Chili and Bastro, and we have determined together with the delegation of the European Commission that from now on the main activity will be focused on the consolidation of the Sulin Canal, investments in the Sulin Canal, in order to increase the transit capacity to receive all vessels that are on the maritime Danube cluster. (…) Ukraine has assumed that it will stop any form of dredging, be it operational, maintenance or other form,” said Ionel Skriostianu, News.ro reports.

He stated that the measurement calendar established by both sides remains valid.

• “The measurement calendar remains valid, it remains to receive the acceptance from the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, because this is a difficult area from the point of view of risks, as far as we will receive the consent, the conclusion and the conditions in which the measurements will be carried out, starting from March 15, we will introduce the measurements . (…) The most important thing is that they will not engage in other types of dredging until the measurements are completed. After we conduct these measurements, we will see what measures and whether measures need to be taken in this area,” explained the State Secretary of the Ministry of Transport.

Zero priority: increasing the capacity of the Sulinsky canal

According to the press release of the Ministry of Transport, representatives of the European Commission, who participated in the meeting in Izmail, agreed with the requests of Romania and emphasized that the zero priority for facilitating the transit of goods from Ukraine is to increase the capacity of the Sulyn Canal.

This aspect was emphasized by representatives of DG MOVE and confirmed by Ukrainian colleagues.

Measures to increase the carrying capacity of the Sulinsky Canal are aimed at:

• increasing the number of pilots;
• modernization of the radio beacon system to ensure safe navigation day and night;
• purchase of technical vessels and modern software for traffic management.

The representatives of the European Commission noted that more than 50% of cargo flows, which are supported by the “Shuga Solidarity” plan, take place along the Danube. In this context, they emphasized the importance of increasing the carrying capacity of the Sulyn canal, which is a priority for the tasks set before the “Paths of Solidarity”.

Read also:

• The scandal regarding the dredging of the Bastro canal: experts from the European Commission are coming to Romania on Monday
• The scandal regarding the dredging of the Bastro canal: the results of the first meeting between the Romanian and Ukrainian authorities
• Does the scandal surrounding the Bastro channel serve Russian propaganda? The answer was given by the Minister of Transport, Sorin Grindeanu