On 9 December, the SEETAC Project (South East European Transport Axis Cooperation), co-financed by the European Commission, through the Trans-National Cooperation Programme South East Europe, was successfully presented at the European Parliament in Brussels during an event co-organised by the Central European Initiative and hosted by Hon. Antonio Cancian (Transport and Tourism Committee of the European Parliament).
The overall objective of the meeting was to discuss the challenges of the Western Balkans in their path towards integration into the EU Transport Networks, by analyzing the current EU transport revision process and instruments and the SEETAC Project.The event, chaired by Mr. Carlo Fortuna, SEETAC Content Manager, was attended by several Members of the European Parliament who addressed the audience: Hon. Cancian (Italy), Hon. Kukan (Slovak Republic), Hon Marinescu (Romania), and Hon. Ranner (Austria). SEETAC partners had the opportunity to also meet EC officials from DG Move and DG Enlargement, the Joint Technical Secretariat of the South East Europe programme, officials from national and regional representations to the EU and numerous transport associations and lobbies. CEI Secretary General, Amb. Pfanzelter, briefly introduced the activities of the CEI and emphasized its strategic objective to support non-EU Member States in getting closer to the European Union. In this context, the SEETAC project represents a flagship initiative, because not only is it in the line with this objective but it also witnesses the ability of the CEI in acting as a reliable partner for the EU, able to manage and implement EU programmes through EC resources. In his speech, Hon. Cancian highlighted the importance of the transport sector for the Western Balkans, and also expressed the necessity to create an Adriatic system in the region. He explained that as the Danube river has inspired the creation of a macro-region for the riverain countries and beyond, so should the Adriatic Sea. He also stressed the need for Public Private Partnerships (PPP) in the implementation of future transport projects, since neither national nor EU budgets are enough especially in times of budgetary constraints. Following a brief presentation of SEETAC state-of-the-art, EC the floor was taken by two EC officials: Mr. Baron, Policy Officer and Mr. Adelsberger, adviser, explained the current status of the TEN-T (Trans European Transport Network) revision and its extension to the Western Balkans. They both expressed their appreciation for the SEETAC Project and its importance as a contribution to prioritize WB transport project in the light of the current revision process. Furthermore, Ms. Gianfranchi, Policy Officer from DG Enlargement gave a significant input by explaining the rationale of the Instrument for the Pre-Accession (IPA) for candidate and potential candidate countries in financing transport projects. www.seetac.eu
