ROAD TRANSPORT INTEGRATION OF UKRAINE INTO THE EUROPEAN TEN-T NETWORK

Abstract

The article discusses the issue of Ukraine's road transport integration into the Trans-European Transport Network TEN-T. It is noted that the TEN-T network is a key infrastructure system of the EU. It aims to integrate various modes of transport–road, rail, river, sea, and air–into a single multimodal network that ensures the continuous transport of people and goods, reduces bottlenecks, and strengthens the economic and territorial cohesion of the EU. Accordingly, the aim of the study is to conduct a comprehensive analysis of the integration of Ukraine's road transport into the TEN-T network, assess the results of reforms, identify systemic constraints on the development of the industry, and determine the prospects for modernizing road and logistics infrastructure in the context of European integration. It has been established that the TEN-T network provides for a division into basic, extended, and comprehensive networks with defined implementation deadlines and modern standards of safety, sustainability, and digital compatibility. For Ukraine, integration into TEN-T involves modernizing the road network, developing intermodal terminals, logistics centers, and digital platforms for monitoring and managing freight flows. It is being implemented in the context of political decisions, harmonization of legislation, and technical adaptation to EU standards. Ukraine's integration into TEN-T involves overcoming technical, regulatory, and economic barriers, developing ITS and digital systems, modernizing transport corridors, and creating multimodal logistics hubs. This opens up opportunities to increase throughput capacity, reduce logistics costs, speed up delivery, expand cross-border freight flows, and integrate Ukraine into European transport chains. It has been shown that TEN-T serves not only as an infrastructure factor but also as a geo-economic factor, transforming Ukraine's role from a peripheral transit country to a hub platform. In particular, it ensures the adaptation of the national transport system to European standards of safety, digital management, and logistics certification. It is concluded that Ukraine's road transport integration into the TEN-T network is one of the long-term key areas of the European integration strategy, opening up access to a single trans-European mobility area and international logistics markets. It covers infrastructure, legislation, logistics, finance, and international policy. Its implementation goes beyond purely transport tasks and is directly linked to Ukraine's economic integration into the EU internal market.