“The Reconstruction of Ukraine: A Strategic Role for Romania” is an international conference organized by New Strategy Center, which will be held on December 13-14, 2023, and aims to debate multiple aspects related to the reconstruction process of Ukraine and the strategic role that Romania must play in this context. The conference brings together officials from Ukraine, Romania and other EU and NATO states, independent experts, representatives of the business environment, academia, and the diplomatic corps, being the largest conference in Romania dedicated to this topic.
The reconstruction process is the largest reconstruction project since World War II, surpassing in magnitude the Marshall Plan or similar projects in Iraq and Afghanistan. Ukraine is an important country, it has a considerable population, located on the borders of the European Union, thus benefiting from special attention. The reconstruction process has already begun, even as the war continues, and is expected to run parallel to the hostilities. The reconstruction must also be seen from the perspective of the modernization of Ukraine, this country trying to reduce the development gap with the West along with the reconstruction process. There are also a number of challenges in terms of determining the sources of funding, how the process itself will be carried out, including from the perspective of transparency of procedures and guarantees given to donors that the funds will be judiciously used, according to the assumed purposes. At the same time, the involvement of the private sector, especially in the conditions where there is an ongoing war, must be done through the strong support of the state, direct guarantees granted to private companies and ensuring their activity.
The war in Ukraine is one of attrition, which will run parallel to the reconstruction process. However, it is imperative that Romania participates in this process, not only bilaterally, through the presence of companies in various localities or fields of activity. Romania must assume the role of a hub for Western efforts considering its proximity to regions such as Odesa, Mykolaiv, Kherson, Zaporozhye, where the fighting was and still is extremely intense. The process of reconstruction and modernisation also means a commitment by the international community to support Ukraine’s NATO and EU membership. The major advantage that Romania will have over other countries from NATO’s Eastern Flank is the access to its own source of energy, predictable and constant, namely the natural gas resources of the Black Sea. From 2027, Romania will become the main gas producer in the European Union, with the Neptun Deep perimeter offering 7-8 billion cubic meters of gas annually, for 10-12 years. Taking into account the fact that Romania already provides 80% of its consumption from its own resources, it will be able to help other states to consolidate their energy independence, primarily the Republic of Moldova, a fact that will contribute to stopping the malign influence of Moscow in the region in the energy field. Thanks to the Romanian gas from the Black Sea, Western companies involved in the reconstruction of Ukraine in certain energy-intensive fields, such as construction or the pharmaceutical industry, can position their production capabilities in Romania, a NATO country, safe from the point of view of security, under the protective umbrella of Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty.
Romania will have to highlight its assets, increasing its strategic relevance in the region. In order to succeed, it is very important that Romania’s interconnections with Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova are developed: new border crossing points, the development of road, rail and port infrastructure, both on the Danube and the Black Sea. The EU must support the projects for the interconnection of the port of Gdansk, in Poland, on the Baltic Sea, with the port of Constanța, in Romania, on the shore of the Black Sea, through a railway with Western gauge, which will cross the West of Ukraine and which will also link Chisinau, the capital of the Republic of Moldova, and the Ukrainian port of Odesa. It is an important project not only from an economic point of view, but also from the perspective of military mobility, especially since it involves only one crossing of the Carpathian mountains. Romania’s participation in the reconstruction process of Ukraine means, above all, connectivity. And this must also be thought from the perspective of the interconnection of Romania, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine.
During the conference, the participants will also consider the fact that the reconstruction process of Ukraine will go in parallel with the discussions on the security guarantees for Ukraine, as a transitional period until Ukraine becomes a member of NATO, and the establishment of a post-conflict security architecture. The conference will address topics of utmost importance for the reconstruction process of Ukraine, such as the role of the Danube, the challenges for freedom of navigation, energy security, the potential of green energy, food security, the field of telecommunications and cyber, critical infrastructure, the field of health, the challenges for the private sector in the reconstruction process, the connectivity between Romania, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine or the role of the USA in the Black Sea region.