25th Anniversary to Ukrainian-Romanian-Moldavian Euroregion “Upper Prut”. European integration: achievements, problems and prospects
23 September 2025, 11:59
Euroregion “Upper Prut” celebrated its 25th anniversary. Agreement on this Euroregion establishment was signed on September 22, 2000 in Botoșani accordingly to Art. 8 of basic UA-RO Treatment of 02.06.1997 and President’s Summits decisions in Izmail (1997), Chișinău (1998) and in Chernivtsi (1999).
“Upper Prut” has completed the chain of such transfrontier structures as euoregions “Bug”, “Carpathian” & “Lower Danube” along whole common border of Ukraine with nowadays EU & NATO Member States. “Upper Prut” unites Chernivtsi & Ivano-Frankivsk Oblasts in Ukraine, Suceava & Botoșani Counties in România and 7 regional bodies of Development Area “Nord” with its centre in Balți in Republic of Moldova. This Euroregion was the first in Ukraine, which established partnership relations with the Austian Federal Land Kärnten and Bavarian Bezirk Schwaben. By Order No. 59-p of 14.02.2002 the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine established a pilot status for "experimental working out within framework of this Euroregion the mechanisms of Transfrontier Cooperation as elements of the European Integration process and Regional Policy building”.
Committee on Ukraine's Integration into the EU of Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine has collaborated with this pilot Euroregion, since organization of the first in Ukraine EU-UA Parliamentary Cooperation Committee off-site meeting in Chernivtsi and directly in the main UA-RO border crossing point “Porubne - Siret” on 29.09.2003. This was preceded by the coordination of approaches to Transfrontier Cooperation by representatives of Central and Eastern European countries in Warsaw on 11.04.2001, their reflection in the Concept of the Regional Policy in Ukraine and in definition by the EU-UA Council of the Transfrontier Cooperation both in cross-border and inter-territorial forms as one of the key priorities for Euro-integrational collaboration.
Subsequently, the above-mentioned achievements, as well as priority areas and project initiatives of this Euroregion, which have obtained support proposal from the WBRD, became the footing for basic Legislative and Regulatory Acts, starting with the initiation and adoption in 2004 of the Law of Ukraine "On Transfrontier Cooperation". On this background were initiated the first Parliamentary Hearing and appropriate Resolution of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, which became a bottom for the Methodological recommendations on the coordination of transfrontier cooperation projects at the national and regional levels and on the use of Information Technologies to support transfrontier cooperation projects. This also included the prospects for the formation of European Groupings for Territorial Cooperation and the application of Geoinformation Technologies for the exchange of Geospatial Information between Distributed Databases of communities, regions, National and International governmental and specialized sectoral institutions, as well as of Civil Society Organizations. At the same time, on the basis of the Euroregion "Upper Prut” have been worked out the key elements for the National Strategy of Transfrontier Clustering draft Concept.
Transfrontier aspects of the European and Euro-Atlantic integration are constantly under the Committee's attention. The Committee and Parliamentary Hearing on 08.06.2016, as well as Resolution of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine have been devoted to this issue, and subsequently initiated the following Committee’s Hearing, discussions and modern update of the basic Law (On International Territorial Cooperation of Ukraine).
Particular attention is paid to the restoration and modern development of transfrontier transport systems, which, according to the EU decision of 22.12.2023 were included into the recreated historical connection "from the Varangians to the Greeks" along the TEN-T corridor "Baltic Sea - Black Sea - Aegean Sea", as well as to transfrontier development of the Carpathian Region using Geospatial Planning approaches, which are implementing within the framework of the Carpathian Convention and in attempts to adopt an EU Strategy for the Carpathian Region. And from to pan-European Security challenges in its modern sense.
Within the framework of the actual EU Strategy for the Danube Region, a particular value has the systematicity of Ukrainian initiatives for all its main priorities, starting from the key Transport and Energy issues, outlined by the Three Seas Initiative (Ukraine's accession to which took place simultaneously with the acquisition of the EU Candidate status). At the same time, macro-regional cooperation covers a much wider range of tasks - from Scientific and Educational interaction to the harmonious development of transfrontier interethnic relations, cultural ties and touristic-recreational activities, as well as from multi-level cross-border cooperation to the pan-European Security challenges in its modern sense.
For the Ukraine's recovery and success of its European integration, fundamental importance will have the compliance of these processes with the European Green Deal and with the strategic principles of territorial development of the EU, which also are in the focus of the Committee's attention, as well as of the achievements of the pilot Euroregion "Upper Prut".
In the attached presentation can see more information concerned mentioned issues.
“Upper Prut” has completed the chain of such transfrontier structures as euoregions “Bug”, “Carpathian” & “Lower Danube” along whole common border of Ukraine with nowadays EU & NATO Member States. “Upper Prut” unites Chernivtsi & Ivano-Frankivsk Oblasts in Ukraine, Suceava & Botoșani Counties in România and 7 regional bodies of Development Area “Nord” with its centre in Balți in Republic of Moldova. This Euroregion was the first in Ukraine, which established partnership relations with the Austian Federal Land Kärnten and Bavarian Bezirk Schwaben. By Order No. 59-p of 14.02.2002 the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine established a pilot status for "experimental working out within framework of this Euroregion the mechanisms of Transfrontier Cooperation as elements of the European Integration process and Regional Policy building”.
Committee on Ukraine's Integration into the EU of Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine has collaborated with this pilot Euroregion, since organization of the first in Ukraine EU-UA Parliamentary Cooperation Committee off-site meeting in Chernivtsi and directly in the main UA-RO border crossing point “Porubne - Siret” on 29.09.2003. This was preceded by the coordination of approaches to Transfrontier Cooperation by representatives of Central and Eastern European countries in Warsaw on 11.04.2001, their reflection in the Concept of the Regional Policy in Ukraine and in definition by the EU-UA Council of the Transfrontier Cooperation both in cross-border and inter-territorial forms as one of the key priorities for Euro-integrational collaboration.
Subsequently, the above-mentioned achievements, as well as priority areas and project initiatives of this Euroregion, which have obtained support proposal from the WBRD, became the footing for basic Legislative and Regulatory Acts, starting with the initiation and adoption in 2004 of the Law of Ukraine "On Transfrontier Cooperation". On this background were initiated the first Parliamentary Hearing and appropriate Resolution of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, which became a bottom for the Methodological recommendations on the coordination of transfrontier cooperation projects at the national and regional levels and on the use of Information Technologies to support transfrontier cooperation projects. This also included the prospects for the formation of European Groupings for Territorial Cooperation and the application of Geoinformation Technologies for the exchange of Geospatial Information between Distributed Databases of communities, regions, National and International governmental and specialized sectoral institutions, as well as of Civil Society Organizations. At the same time, on the basis of the Euroregion "Upper Prut” have been worked out the key elements for the National Strategy of Transfrontier Clustering draft Concept.
Transfrontier aspects of the European and Euro-Atlantic integration are constantly under the Committee's attention. The Committee and Parliamentary Hearing on 08.06.2016, as well as Resolution of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine have been devoted to this issue, and subsequently initiated the following Committee’s Hearing, discussions and modern update of the basic Law (On International Territorial Cooperation of Ukraine).
Particular attention is paid to the restoration and modern development of transfrontier transport systems, which, according to the EU decision of 22.12.2023 were included into the recreated historical connection "from the Varangians to the Greeks" along the TEN-T corridor "Baltic Sea - Black Sea - Aegean Sea", as well as to transfrontier development of the Carpathian Region using Geospatial Planning approaches, which are implementing within the framework of the Carpathian Convention and in attempts to adopt an EU Strategy for the Carpathian Region. And from to pan-European Security challenges in its modern sense.
Within the framework of the actual EU Strategy for the Danube Region, a particular value has the systematicity of Ukrainian initiatives for all its main priorities, starting from the key Transport and Energy issues, outlined by the Three Seas Initiative (Ukraine's accession to which took place simultaneously with the acquisition of the EU Candidate status). At the same time, macro-regional cooperation covers a much wider range of tasks - from Scientific and Educational interaction to the harmonious development of transfrontier interethnic relations, cultural ties and touristic-recreational activities, as well as from multi-level cross-border cooperation to the pan-European Security challenges in its modern sense.
For the Ukraine's recovery and success of its European integration, fundamental importance will have the compliance of these processes with the European Green Deal and with the strategic principles of territorial development of the EU, which also are in the focus of the Committee's attention, as well as of the achievements of the pilot Euroregion "Upper Prut".
In the attached presentation can see more information concerned mentioned issues.