REGIONAL RAIL CONNECTIVITY: Joint PA1b & UN ECE Workshop

 

3-4 October 2019: Sustainable transport is a basic element for the economic and social development of any country. Due to globalization of the economy, countries are more and more depending on an efficient transport system to ensure their development.  The dynamics of globalization have indeed brought trade, mobility and sustainable transport into the forefront of national and regional development strategies. This goes hand in hand with international efforts aimed at better connectivity and seamless mobility and reducing the costs and the complexity of moving goods/passengers.

The aim of the Workshop was to increase awareness on importance of better Danube region rail connectivity and to strengthen cooperation between the regional transport stakeholders (ministries, railways, terminal operators, hauliers) to create common, reliable and sustainable rail services on the international market. The workshop allowed attendees to link regional rail connectivity with national transport policies and to discuss wider prospective of the region to attract international transport flows. A key aspect of the workshop was the exchange of information and experiences of participants in relation to rail connectivity in the Danube region.

 

                       

     A G E N D A 

Thursday, 3 October 2019

08.45 – 09.00 Registration

09.00 – 09.30                Welcome/ Opening speech

  • Mr. Miodrag Poledica, State Secretary and PAC, Ministry of Construction, transport and Infrastructure, Serbia (confirmed)
  • Mr. Franc Žepič, Priority Area Coordinator (PAC) of the EUSDR PA1b, Ministry of Infrastructure, Slovenia (confirmed)
  • Mr. Nenad Nikolić, Regional Advisor, UNECE (confirmed)

09.30 – 10.30 Session I: Rail Transport Connectivity – Regional strategic framework

Moderator: Mr. Nenad Nikolić, Regional Advisor, UNECE

  • Mr. Francesco Dionori, Chief of Section, UNECE (confirmed)
  • Mr. Franc Žepič, Priority Area Coordinator of the EUSDR PA1b, Ministry of Infrastructure, Slovenia, (confirmed)
  • Mr. Alain Baron, Interim Director, Transport Community Treaty Permanent Secretariat (TCT PS) (confirmed)
  • Ms. Malgorzata Kopczyńska, acting TER Deputy Project Manager (confirmed)

10.30 – 11.00                Coffee break

 

11.00 – 13.00 Session II – National policies for better rail transport connectivity

 

Moderator: Mr. Franc Žepič, Ministry of Infrastructure, Slovenia

  • Mr. Lazar Radaković, Assistant Minister, Ministry of Construction, Transport, and Infrastructure, Serbia (confirmed)
  • Mr. Damir Lazov, State Secretary, Ministry of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure, Croatia (tbc)
  • Mr. Milan Banković, Director General of the Directorate for railway transport, Ministry of Transport and Maritime Affairs, Montenegro (confirmed)
  • Ms. Vlasta Kampoš-Jerenec, Head of Unit, Ministry of Infrastructure, Slovenia (confirmed)
  • Mr. Mustafa Kovacević, Head of Unit, Ministry of Communications and Transport, Bosnia and Herzegovina (confirmed)
  • Ms. Vasile Condreanu, Leading Expert, Ministry of Economy and Infrastructure, Moldova (confirmed)
  • Ms. Svitlana Zabolodska, Head of Unit, Ministry of Investment, Ukraine (confirmed)
  • Mr. Arben Muho, Ministry of Infrastructure and Energy, Albania (confirmed)
  • Ms. Biljana Zdraveva, Ministry of Transport and Communication, North Macedonia (tbc)

Q&A

Note: Representatives from the Danube region countries are also invited to contribute: Austria, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Germany (Bavaria and Baden Wuerttemberg), Hungary, Romania, Slovakia.

 

13.00 – 14.30 Lunch break

14.30 – 15.30    Panel I – International experience and projects for better rail transport connectivity

Moderator: Mr. Francesco Dionori, Chief of Section, UNECE

International organizations dealing with rail connectivity

  • Mr. Ralf-Charley Schultze, UIRR (tbc)
  • Mr. Miroslav Kogler, RNE (RailNet Europe), Vienna (tbc)
  • Mr. Dejan Lasica, Officer, TCT PS (confirmed)
  • Mr. Paolo Dileno, Project manager, CEI, Trieste (confirmed)
  • Mr. Nebojša Jevtić, Serbian Chamber of Commerce (confirmed)
  • Mr. Borna Abramović, University of Zagreb, Croatia (confirmed)

Q&A

 

15.30 – 16.00 Coffee Break

16.00 – 17.30    Panel II– Railway sector – what we need and what we want

Moderator:  Mr. Francesco Dionori, Chief of Section, UNECE

  • Ms. Melita Rozman Dacar, Slovenian railways (SŽ), Slovenia (tbc)
  • Mr. Lazar Mosurović, General Manager, Railway Directorate of the Republic of Serbia (confirmed)
  • Ms. Elena Balan, Deputy Head, Moldovan Railways (confirmed)
  • Ms. Eneida Elezi, Foreign Affairs expert, Albanian Railways (confirmed)
  • Mr. Nicholas Rodopoulos, Chairperson, Hellenic Logistics Association, Greece (confirmed)
  • Mr. Ivica Vrankić (Train Hungary) (confirmed)
  • Mr. Marko Jeremić, Transport Manager, Infrastructure of Serbian Railways (tbc)

Q&A
17.30    Closing Day I

 

19.00 Networking Dinner (offered by EUSDR PA1b)

 

Friday, 4 October 2019

09.00 – 10.30                Rail Transport hard talk – are we competitive?

Moderator: Mr. Nenad Nikolić, Regional Advisor, UNECE

  • Mr. Andrea Giuricin, University of Milan BICOCCA, Italy (confirmed)
  • Prof. dr. Bernd Kortschak
  • Participant A
  • Participant B

Q&A

Note: Candidates to participate at panel are to be preselected

 

10.30 – 11.00 Coffee Break

11.00 – 12.00   Breakout session – what we could take home on the Regional Rail Connectivity

Moderator:  Mr. Franc Žepič, Ministry of Infrastructure, Slovenia

National and regional representatives’ ideas how to commit ourselves/themselves for better rail connectivity in the Danube Region, divided in 4 groups, 30 min thinking/discussing, 5 min presentation each group.

  • Group 1
  • Group 2
  • Group 3
  • Group 4

Note:   The goal – to formulate 3-4 key words (on how to reach better rail connectivity – and then to work on it in the following years (on the efficient implementation)

12.00 – 12.15 Wrap up

12.15 – 14.00 Farewell Lunch