The new structure will bring together around 300 government bodies, universities and research institutions, covering an area of 150,000 square kilometres and a population of over 10 million people, according to eastgate.ro.
The initiators claim that the new organisation will elevate relations between the participating communities to a more stable and strategic level.
The ceremony in Constanța included the signing of the draft Founding Agreement and Statutes of the GECT EAST GATE, as well as the Constanța Declaration. The organisation brings together administrations and institutions from Romania and Bulgaria, both Member States of the European Union, alongside the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine.
“Today, on the shores of the Black Sea, four states have joined hands. The signatures affixed in Eforie Nord do not mark the end of the process, but rather pave the way: from the Carpathians to the Danube, local communities have decided to work together to create the eastern gateway to the European Union — one that is open and full of life,” emphasised Ukraine’s representative, Sergiu Sukharenko.
As previously reported, Moldova has become a co-founder of the EAST GATE group to gain direct access to EU funds.
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