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SEETO 13th AMM – Annual Minister Meeting held in Brussels – December 6, 2017
SEETO with EU support organized the 13th AMM (Annual Meeting of Ministers) held in Brussels on 6th of December 2017. Meeting gathered Ministers and high state officials from Western Balkan Region (WB6), Ambassadors, SEETO Steering Committee members, DG NEAR, DG MOVE, high representatives from IFI-s and many other important stakeholders from Transport Institution and industry.
The 13th AMM was highlighted with political agreement of all parties regarding the seat of the Transport Community Treaty which was reached. Western Balkans Ministers of Transport have decided that Belgrade (Serbia) will be the headquarters of the Secretariat of the Transport Community. Decision was confirmed in Brussels on the first ministerial meeting of the EU-Western Balkans Transport Council. This choice required consensus of all six partners from the region.
The Western Balkan countries are at a turning point since the Transport Community Treaty marks the beginning of a new era of cooperation between the EU and the Western Balkans parties, as well as connectivity for the whole of Europe. For more information go to:
http://plutonlogistics.com/logistika/beograd-centar-transportne-zajednice-zapadnog-balkana/ |
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Transport Community with Western Balkans - First meeting of the Ministerial Council – December 6, 2017 The first meeting of the Ministerial Council under the EU-Western Balkans Transport Community Treaty took place in Brussels gathering the representatives of the Contracting Parties to the Treaty establishing the Transport Community.
The Ministerial Council decided by consensus that Belgrade shall be the seat of the Permanent Secretariat of the Transport Community ('Secretariat').
The Ministerial Council also agreed that the first meeting of the Regional Steering Committee of the Transport Community should take place in early 2018 to discuss the necessary steps to set up the new Secretariat. The next meeting of the Ministerial Council is scheduled to take place in the second half of 2018 in one of the Western Balkans Parties. |
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| | | Follow up - Bulc: Decision to pick Belgrade merit-based – December 7, 2017
The decision to select Belgrade as the seat of the Western Balkans Transport Community was “purely merit-based,” European Commissioner for Transport Violeta Bulc said in Brussels.
“We had different offers on the table and, after careful examination, a choice was made on the one that offered the most compared to the criteria we set. I am very happy that a consensus on the seat was confirmed in Brussels and, above all, that the seat will be within the region,” Bulc noted in a statement to Tanjug.
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| | 10th SEETO Road Safety Working Group Meeting held in Tirana – December 14-15, 2017
The 10th SEETO Road Safety Working Group meeting was held in Tirana on 14-15 December 2017, with the presence of respective representatives from the Regional Participants’ Ministries of Transport, Ministries of Infrastructure, Ministries of Interior, Road Authorities, different public enterprises from transport sector, World Bank, SAFEGE, Connecta etc.
The RSWG reviewed the results of Connectivity Reform Measure Management Plan, discussed ongoing activities...
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| | Bosnia launches new section of Corridor Vc – December 12, 2017
Bosnia and Herzegovina launched a new 10 km section of Corridor Vc between the towns of Svilaj and Odzak on Monday, the government of the Federation said.
This section represents the northernmost part of the Corridor Vc in Bosnia and Herzegovina and has a strategic importance for the construction of the entire motorway, the Federation's government said in a statement.
The works were partly funded with a loan from the EBRD. The Western Balkans Investment Framework (WBIF) approved a grant of 17.5 million euro (20.6 million euro) for the project.
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| | EBRD lending 40 mln euro for upgrade of Montenegro's main roads – December 7, 2017
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) said it is providing a 40 million euro ($47.2 million) loan to contribute to the financing of the reconstruction of 216 km of Montenegro’s main roads.
The loan will be extended in three tranches to the Ministry of Transport and Maritime Affairs, the EBRD said in a statement.
The EBRD has invested 530 million euro in over 50 projects in Montenegro.
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| | Bosnia's Serb Republic railway operator signs deal with Chinese – November 27, 2017 Zeljeznice Republike Srpske, the railway operator of Bosnia's Serb Republic, has signed a deal with China Shandong International Economic & Technical Cooperation Group for reconstruction of the Banja Luka-Novi Grad railway line, said the entity's road operator Autoputevi RS.
The railway line runs from the capital of the Serb Republic to the border with Croatia located in the Novi Grad municipality.
According to local media reports, the estimated cost of the deal stands at 241 million euro ($288 million). |
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| | Joint cooperation to initiate the Sarajevo-Podgorica-Skopje route – November 17, 2017 In the framework of the two-day working visit to Sarajevo, the President of the Government of Macedonia, Zoran Zaev, met with the Chairman of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Denis Zvizdić.
“Prime Minister Zaev brought a new positive energy to the Western Balkans,” said Zvizdić, and confirmed that he is also accepting Prime Minister Zaev’s initiative for a route from Sarajevo to Podgorica.
At a news conference, it was announced that Zaev and Zvizdić, together with the Prime Minister of Montenegro Duško Marković will send a joint letter to all airlines, interested in introducing the Sarajevo-Podgorica-Skopje airline, as and that the initiative is open to other countries, such as Bulgaria.
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| | EBRD lending 71 mln euro for Kosovo road expansion project – December 18, 2017 The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) said it is extending a 71 million euro ($83.4 million) loan to Kosovo's government for the construction of a 30 km highway section.
“The EBRD funding will be complemented by an 80 million euro loan provided by the European Investment Bank (EIB) and 3.2 million euro in grant funding from the Western Balkans Investment Framework (WBIF) for project preparation,” the bank explained.
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| | Infrastruktura Zeleznice Srbije joins international railway union – December 12, 2017
Serbian state-owned company Infrastruktura Zeleznice Srbije said it has become a member of the International Union of Railways UIC as part of efforts to improve its efficiency.
The membership in UIC will provide the company with access to technical documentation and standards, participation in forums, platforms and workgroups, as well as access to conclusions related to infrastructure, operators, technology...
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| | EBRD providing first part of 47 mln euro loan to Srbija Voz – December 7, 2017
2017 The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) said it signed an agreement to provide the first portion of a 47 million euro ($55.4 million) loan to the railway passenger operator Srbija Voz to finance the expansion and upgrade of the Zemun maintenance depot in Belgrade.
The agreement was signed with Serbian finance minister Dusan Vujovic and the general director of Srbija Voz, Jugoslav Jovic, and envisages the lending of 30 million euro to Serbia Voz, the EBRD said in a statement.
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| | Serbia signs 450 mln euro motorway construction deal with China's CCCC – November 27, 2017
Serbia's infrastructure ministry said on Monday it signed a 450 million euro ($537.6 million) agreement with China Communications Construction Company (CCCC) for construction of a section of a motorway that will link Belgrade to the border with Montenegro.
The contract envisages the design and construction of the 30.9 km-long motorway section between Preljina and Požega, in full profile, with almost a third of the route consisting of tunnels and bridges, the infrastructure ministry said in a statement.
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| | Albania, Montenegro inaugurate joint railway station – November 20, 2017
Albania and Montenegro inaugurated the Tuzi railway station located on the border between the two countries, the Albanian ministry of infrastructure and energy said.
The station is part of a joint initiative to offer more services at the border crossing point of Hani i Hotit located opposite the Montenegrin town of Tuzi, Albanian minister of infrastructure Damian Gjiknuri said in press release after visiting the new railway station.
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| | Zvizdić meets with Borissov – October 27, 2017
The Chairman of the Council of Ministers of BiH, Denis Zvizdic and Bulgaria’s Prime Minister Boyko Borissov, met in Sarajevo on Friday, October 27, and discussed the improvement of economic and regional co-operation as well as the Euro-Atlantic integrations of BiH.
An agreement to amend the Agreement between the Bulgarian Government and the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina on International Carriage of Passengers and Goods by Road is in the process of being signed.
The document aims to promote cooperation in the field of road transport between the two countries. The implementation of the document will reduce the restrictions on the routes of the Bulgarian trucks...
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Summit100 – the largest gathering of the business leaders from the SEE countries – October 16, 2017
Summit100 Business Leaders of SEE is an unique business initiative that gathers 100 most eminent business leaders (by invitation) from the region of South East Europe, including Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Macedonia, Kosovo and Albania, with the aim to engage business leaders into the dialogue to try to shape new vision that would improve business and quality of life in the region. They participate in roundtable discussions, grouped according to the economic sectors, and discuss the impediments to and possibilities of cooperation in the region.
The Western Balkans will no longer be a powder keg of Europe, economic cooperation among the Western Balkans Six must remain high on the list of priorities for all governments in the region, there is clear will of Western Balkan states to work together, were just some of the key messages from the Summit 100, the regional gathering of business leaders from Southeastern Europe, which took place on 16-17 October in Skopje. |
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