The Western Balkans Road Summit – Shaping the future: safe, smart and sustainable roads, held on 7 June in Tirana, gathered the ministers from the Western Balkans, representatives of the European Commission and practitioners of road sector for discussions on how to create a climate resilient, intelligent, and resource-efficient road network in the Western Balkans. …
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Under the auspices of the Transport Community Permanent Secretariat, the 8th meeting of the Road Technical Committee was held on 6 June in Tirana. The meeting Agenda introduced the Regional Partners’ (RPs) latest progress in implementation of the Road Action Plan, the RPs’ update on road related legislation approximation plans as per Annex I of …
On 27 May 2022, a joint virtual event was hosted by CONNECTA and the Transport Community Permanent Secretariat to present the objectives and strategic approach of the three, recently commenced, CONNECTA’s regional sub-projects: Technical Assistance for the Deployment of Smart and Sustainable Mobility in the Western Balkans; Technical Assistance for preparation of technical documentation for …
The Tirana bypass carries significant strategic dimension, being part of the Adriatic-Ionian Highway, also referred to as the Blue Highway, which will create a seamless route from Trieste in Italy to Kalamata in Greece, while branching out to Slovenia, Croatia, Montenegro, and Albania. In February this year, the Tirana bypass project – identified as investment …
The Western Balkans Investment Framework (WBIF) held its 33rd Project Financiers’ Group Meeting on 18 and 19 May in Belgrade. For the first time after the two years of pandemic, the meeting was hosted in-person (with remote connections for those unable to travel). The …
Establishing an interoperable transport network in the region, including the Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) architecture, applications and services is essential for ensuring an integrated, safe, efficient, and environmentally sound mobility. To be effective and reach the maximum benefits, the national ITS solutions need to be put in place systematically and to be harmonised in …
Under the auspices of the Transport Community Permanent Secretariat, the 7th meeting of the Road Technical Committee was held on 10 March in a hybrid mode. The meeting focused on the implementation of the Five-year rolling work plan for the development of the indicative TEN-T extension of the Comprehensive and Core Network in Western Balkans …
Making transport in the Western Balkans cleaner, safer, more efficient, and responsive to climate challenges is on the priority agendas of both the European Union and the Western Balkans partners. The policies and goals tackling the deployment of smart and sustainable mobility in the Western Balkans have been highlighted in several key documents, including the …
A considerable part of the Western Balkans transport network still requires significant interventions in the direction of rehabilitation and upgrading. To ensure better connectivity, facilitate trade and deliver sustainable economic growth, the implementation of EU technical standards and connectivity reform transport measures remains a priority for the region. Designing the suitable systems to manage and …
A kick off meeting, held on 22 December, marked the start of CONNECTA’s sub-project ‘Technical assistance for preparation of environmental and social gap analysis, review of the existing technical project documentation and preparation of supplementary documentation for construction of rail section Kriva Palanka – border with Bulgaria’. The rail route of Corridor VIII runs through …
Under the auspices of the Transport Community Permanent Secretariat, the ninth meeting of the Transport Facilitation Technical Committee was held on 7 October in a hybrid mode. The meeting brought together all regional partners, the European Commission, EU member state representatives, CEFTA, IFC/World Bank, the WB Chamber of Investment Forum and the International Development Group. …
Recently intensified privatisation and recovery of heavy industry in Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as the expansion of the Port of Ploče at the South end of Corridor Vc, have created new prospects for the railway sector in BiH. However, the poor conditions of the existing infrastructure, which has an operating speed of 20-70 km/h, …
Road safety remains a top priority for the EU and its Western Balkans regional Connectivity Agenda transport reform measures. In April 2018, the Ministers of Transport of the Western Balkans endorsed a Road Safety Declaration which reasserted commitments and set ambitious targets to be developed at regional level in the area of road safety. Following …
To mark the start of CONNECTA’s sub-project ‘Technical Assistance for preparatory studies for Project: Motorway on Corridor Vc – from Interchange Johovac to Interchange Vukosavlje’, the kick-off meeting attended by the Bosnian beneficiary – JP Autoputevi Republike Srpske, the European Investment Bank and CONNECTA team was held on May 12 in a hybrid mode – …
To complement the core transport network in the Western Balkans and ensure businesses and citizens take full advantage of the flow of goods and services, market integration and its competitiveness, it is essential to continuously support the implementation of the regional Connectivity Agenda transport reform measures. Being directly related to facilitation of movement and effective …
Under the auspices of the Transport Community, the fifth meeting of the Technical Committee on Road Safety was held on 23 September, via videoconference. The meeting reaffirmed the importance of improving road safety on high-risk road sections in the Western Balkans, as well as concrete and joint action required by all: the Transport Community, national, …
The construction of approximately 36 km of motorway between Ovčari (Konjic) and Mostar North, including the 12.4 km long subsection of Prenj tunnel, constitutes an integral part of the Corridor Vc that runs through Bosnia and Herzegovina, connecting the port of Ploče in Croatia with Budapest. The largest investment programme in Bosnia and Herzegovina …
To mark the start of CONNECTA’s sub-project ‘Revision of the Analysis of Options and Update of the Cost Benefit Analysis including sensitivity tests on the Niš-Belgrade railway in Serbia, section Stalać-Djunis’, despite the COVID-19 crisis the kick off meeting was held on 15 April via videoconference. The railway section Stalać-Djunis of approximately 18 km single …
Road safety remains a top priority for the EU and its Western Balkans Connectivity reform agenda. Much of Road Corridor X in North Macedonia (MKD) from Tabanovce to Gevgelija is equipped with old guardrails (safety crash barriers) built to MKD, i.e. ex Yugoslavian standards. This has resulted in low safety conditions for road users and …
The kick-off meeting to mark the start of the CONNECTA sub-project ‘Technical Assistance for establishing electronic queuing management system (e-QMS) on selected road border crossing points (BCP) on the indicative extension of TEN-T network in the Western Balkans (Corridor X)’ was held in Belgrade on 27 February. The scope of the CONNECTA technical assistance is …
The first meeting of the Road Technical Committee of the Transport Community, organized by the Transport Community Permanent Secretariat, took place in Belgrade on 12 February. CONNECTA Team attended the meeting to share the main findings and recommendations from the two studies prepared under CONNECTA CTRM assignments – the Preparation of Five-Year Maintenance Plans for …
The kick-off meeting to mark the start of the CONNECTA sub-project ‘Preparation of selected main/detail designs for improving road safety conditions (risk elimination) along high risk sections in the TEN-T indicative core/comprehensive road networks in the Western Balkans’ was held in Belgrade on 6 February. The scope of the CONNECTA technical assistance is to develop …
The Orient/East-Med Corridor in Serbia includes the Niš – Merdare E80/R7 road section, which continues into Kosovo* and then on to Albania up to Durres Port, on the Adriatic Sea. Also known as the ‘Peace Highway’, this road interconnection is of great importance for freight and passenger transportation in the Western Balkans. It is the …
The twenty-eighth meeting of the WBIF Project Financiers’ Group (PFG) took place in Brussels, on 14 November 2019. The meeting brought together around 90 participants from the European Commission, financial institutions (EIB, EBRD, CEB, KfW, WBG, AFD, EIF), bilateral donors, Western Balkans beneficiaries and the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC). The meeting was co-chaired by DG …
Under the auspices of the Transport Community Permanent Secretariat, the second meeting of the Transport Facilitation Technical Committee took place in Pristina on 17 October. The meeting’s Agenda introduced the road and rail BCPs state of play and status of implementation of the agreed measures, on-going regional/transnational projects relevant for transport facilitation in the wider …
The first meeting of the Technical Committee on Road Safety took place in Podgorica on 2-3 October. Under the auspices of the TC Permanent Secretariat, the meeting brought together members of the Technical Committee (representatives of states of the Contracting Parties), European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), European Investment Bank (EIB) and United Nations …
The second meeting of the Technical Committee on Railways under Transport Community took place in Belgrade on 18 September. The importance of the rail action plan aiming to modernize the rail transport in the Western Balkans is reconfirmed. Development of the regional rail strategy that will help the Western Balkans to revitalize rail transport along …
The entire Western Balkans region is experiencing substantial growth in traffic volumes, and in particular, freight traffic. Border crossing procedures have been identified as a significant barrier to trade and mobility in the Western Balkans. Across the area, there are 30 pairs of road border crossing points, plus two common crossing points on the extended …
Over the years, the EU, international financial institutions and donors have all made substantial contributions to support the Western Balkans in the area of energy efficiency (EE). Energy efficiency is now seen as a key pillar in the Western Balkans national energy strategies, aiming to enhance energy security, contribute to economic growth, and ensure environmental …
Completion of the Strategic Framework for the implementation of intelligent transport systems (ITS) in the Western Balkans for a safe and efficient transport network in the region and closer integration with the EU. The Regional Strategic Framework for ITS development in the Western Balkans, roadmaps for each Regional Participant and all transport modes, and cost-benefit …
CONNECTA completes the five-year Maintenance Plans for the indicative extension of the TEN-T core and comprehensive road and rail networks to the Western Balkans. The transport network of the Western Balkans is located strategically, enabling the continuity of the European TEN-T Network and connecting the Central European countries to the Mediterranean and the Black Sea. …
CONNECTA completed the Preliminary Design and Environmental and Social Impact Assessment for the priority component of the Adriatic-Ionian Highway in Montenegro, the Budva bypass, in November 2018. The project is now ready for a seamless start of the next stage, detailed design and implementation. The Budva bypass is part of an EU driven initiative to …