Thanks to its geographical position and to other assets, Romania seems to outline a clear position as a transit country at European Union's eastern border. There are various reasons for that: shorter distances from Asian ports to Constan¡a compared to distances from the North Sea to the Far-East, the existence of the Danube - Black Sea canal, and the modern port terminals specialized in handling and storage different cargoes under the same conditions as in the North Sea ports.
Moreover, after Romania's EU adheration, the facilities and transit formalities are at least theoretically the same as in the North Sea ports. Prof. Pencea states that due to its geographical position, Romania can even be a country of transit for land transport, at least for flows of goods between regions and countries like Bavaria, Austria, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Bulgaria, Greece and Turkey. Furthermore, the energy resources from Central Asia (and particularly those around the Caspian Sea) have recently gained importance and in this context, Romania is further advantaged.
These resources can reach Europe through Romania, especially when energy security is taken into account and routes through Russia and former soviet states are used less. In other words, the geographical situation, the port of Constan¡a, the Danube River, expertise in the oil and gas sectors are sufficient assets for Romania to become a hub for cargo flows to major commercial and industrial European areas.
