Development of Inland Water Transport as One of the Priorities of the Cohesion Policy: Institutional Prerequisites in the Eu and Ukraine

Topicality. Development of inland water transport is one of the elements of the European cohesion policy. For Ukraine, the experience in implementing territorial development projects and programs aimed at forming a unified integrated transport system for the EU, within the framework of European cohesion policy, is extremely important. This is due to the opportunities to study the positive aspects of the European experience and the impact of implemented projects on regional development, as well as the European integration vectors of Ukraine's state development in the context of post-war recovery. One of the five priority policy objectives of the EU Cohesion Policy for 2021-2027 is PO 3: "Connected Europe", emphasizing the significance of developing a unified integrated transport system for the EU, both for the development of internal transport and international transport. For Ukraine, the accumulated EU experience in the development of inland water transport is highly beneficial in the context of ensuring regional development amid post-war recovery and in the context of its recently approved status as a candidate country for EU membership. Aim and tasks. The purpose of this research is to study the methodological foundations of inland water transport development in Europe and the practical outcomes of the EU's cohesion policy in this sector. This knowledge will be transferred and used to form conceptual and methodological foundations for developing inland water transport in Ukraine, while simultaneously addressing regional development stimulation in Ukraine. Materials and Methods. This study utilizes materials from the European Commission on the development of inland water transport within the framework of the EU's cohesion policy for the program periods of 2014-2020 and 2021-2027. It also incorporates research findings from European and Ukrainian scientists. Through systematic-structural, comparative analysis, and empirical observations of the EU cohesion policy's results in the field of inland water transport, these insights can be applied to formulating conceptual and methodological foundations for the development of inland water transport in Ukraine, particularly in the context of post-war economic recovery and ensuring regional development and cohesion in Ukraine. Research results. The role of the development of inland water transport in ensuring the overcoming of interregional disparities and regional growth has been studied. The main trends in the development of inland water transport in Europe are analyzed. Conclusion. European integration, as a state-wide vector of national development, determines the need to implement European principles, approaches and tools (in particular, the EU cohesion policy) in all sectors and directions of the state policy of Ukraine, including the development of inland water transport and the state regional policy of Ukraine. According to the experience of implementing the EU cohesion policy, the development of inland water transport is one of the most important directions for ensuring regional development and eliminating interregional disparities. Currently, Ukraine faces the task of joining this sustainable development of domestic shipping, which corresponds to the vectors of the EU's territorial cohesion policy. This includes the implementation of international standards and integration into the European transport system. The implementation of the National Transport Strategy 2030 and its action plan for 2021-2024 must be resumed as soon as possible. Ukraine is implementing the main EU transport rules within the framework of the Association Agreement to facilitate the restructuring and modernization of its transport sector, gradually bringing it closer to EU and international standards and policies. This should make the transport sector of Ukraine more sustainable, safe and efficient. However, despite some progress, the speed of legal and institutional reforms remains very low, which is further complicated by the military aggression of the russian federation on the territory of Ukraine.