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CEI – DG NEAR Conference on “The role of the EU in the Western Balkans: the contribution of transport to the enlargement process”

The current efforts in the region aimed at reinforcing connectivity and the transport system within the overall EU enlargement strategy were the focus of an international conference jointly organised by the CEI and the European Commission – Directorate General European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations (DG NEAR). The event, held in Trieste on 21 April, also focused on the Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (IPA), which provides financial and technical support to the candidate countries and potential candidates in the Western Balkans.
 
The first session was dedicated to the EU-funded project ADRIA A (Accessibility and Development for the Re-launch of the Inner Adriatic Area) as a best practice of cross-border cooperation in the framework of the EU Macro-regional Strategies and ETC Programmes.
 
Peter Polajnar (DG NEAR) and Mate Gjorgjievski (South East Europe Transport Observatory - SEETO) highlighted the role of transport as a key factor for the EU integration of the Western Balkans. 
 
Representatives of the EU Strategy for the Adriatic and Ionian Region (EUSAIR), the EU Strategy for the Danube Region (EUSDR), INTERACT, the Adriatic-Ionian Programme and the Cross-border Cooperation Programme Italy-Slovenia participated in a roundtable exploring how Macro-Regions interact with relevant transnational cooperation programmes, with specific emphasis on transport.  
 
The event was also attended by the Regional Councillor for Infrastructure and Mobility of the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region, Mariagrazia Santoro; the Mayor of Trieste, Roberto Cosolini; Antonio Cancian, Italian Ministry of Transport; Paolo Angelini, Italian Ministry of Environment; FrancŽepič and Bostjan Fendre, Ministry of Transport of Slovenia; Danijela Kapa, Ministry of Transport of Montenegro; Snjezana Ivkovic, Ministry of Communications and Transport of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

For more information: cozzi@cei.int

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