Ukraine 11 Jul 2022

Vienna Declaration on commitment to support Ukrainian Railways

The following declaration was signed by CER and European railway CEOs at the Rail CEO Summit hosted by Austrian Federal Railways ÖBB in Vienna on 9 July 2022.

In their joint statement, the rail CEOs pledge solidarity and support for Ukraine - especially for Ukrainian Railways.  European railways have already been actively involved in transporting displaced persons, as well as providing them with supplies, and several joint initiatives have also been successfully implemented for the delivery of relief goods. Due to the restructuring of traffic flows, the railways are also facing particular challenges in freight transport, especially in the transport of raw materials and grain, and are relying on cooperation in this area.

The joint declaration emphasises the solidarity of the partner railways in Europe as well as common European values. On top of this, the rail CEOs want to clearly emphasise the importance of the Ukrainian rail infrastructure as the backbone of the humanitarian corridor for displaced people and aid supplies such as food and medical products. This is just one reason why the European railways want to continue to show support and solidarity with Ukrainian Railways.

The European railway bosses are in agreement that they must work together to rebuild the railways and their infrastructure after the end of the war. The railways want to contribute to this with urgently needed materials but also with technical know-how.  In addition to this, the European railways are united in appealing to the EU to establish a "Rebuild Ukraine" fund. Here, funds should be made available quickly and unbureaucratically specifically for the railways and rail infrastructure in Ukraine. After all, a functioning European rail network is essential for a functioning European economy

The Ukrainian Ambassador to Austria, Vasyl Khymynets, represented Ukraine at the Summit and emphasised the relevance of the declaration.

Read more in the full declaration available to download below.