OP-ED

Alla Hurska: The E40 Waterway and its implications for Ukraine

By Alla Hurska.

Published May 14, 2020. Updated May 14 at 6:49 am

The empty bridge to Dolobetsky Island and Kyiv's skyline on the background are seen from the left the bank of Dnipro River in Kyiv on April 16, 2020. Kyiv’s parks are mostly empty because of government closure orders, part of the tough quarantine restrictions in place to combat the spread of COVID-19.

Photo by Kostyantyn Chernichkin

On April 24, the Ukrainian Parliament adopted a first reading of the bill “On Inland Water Transport,” finally codifying important planned reforms pertaining to riverine transportation in Ukraine—in particular, on the Dnipro River (Mtu.gov.ua, April 24). This new law creates a framework regulating the functioning and development of domestic riverways as well as launches a liberalization of this sector.