Conference on Intermodal Transport in November, Opatija

Today, the organizers of the International Conference and Exhibition 'Intermodal transport in Southeast Europe: Adriatic ports –Adriatic gateway to Europe', announced the Conference to be held in Opatija on 24 and 25 November. The main topics of the Conference will be the intermodal transport in Southeast Europe, as well as Croatia's transport policy and development of intermodality.

The Conference is organized by the Intermodal Promotional Center (IPC) Danube – Adriatic, the European Intermodal Association (EIA) from Brussels and the Croatian – Austrian Chamber of trade from Graz, under the aegis of the Croatian Government.

The main accent will be put on the fact that Adriatic ports should become a gateway to Europe, and that the Adriatic and Danube areas should be connected via inland waterways for achieving more successful freight transport.

The topics of three plenary sessions will be 'EU policy and intermodality', 'Intermodality and traffic policy in Southeast Europe' and 'Financing of intermodal transport project – precondition of European transport enlargement to the Southeast'.

The president of the Management Bord of the IPC Danube – Adriatic, Tomislav Josip Mlinarić, stated that intermodality was a traffic concept which had evolved in Europe, adding that intermodal transport meant a lot to Croatia, for Croatia was an area of many European traffic corridors eligible for the development of that form of transport.

The State Secretary for Traffic, Dražen Breglec, emphasized how it was very important for Croatia to develop ideas regarding the need for promoting intermodal traffic by turning them into concrete projects.

Breglec explained how intermodality was a coordination of existing traffic corridors for effective and competitive freight transport. He added that the intermodal transport had no alternative, for freight transport was growing, intensely. The European transport was urging for new effective ways – because all North European ports were choked up.

Breglec also listed Croatian projects which are working on the development of intermodal transport, i.e. on the elimination of obstacles. In Spačva, soon there will start the construction of terminals for RoLa wagons, where the trucks will be loaded on trains and transported to Ljubljana.

Breglec concluded by saying that, regarding other forms of transport, within the next four years, HRK 600 million would be invested in the infrastructure of Croatian inland waterway ports. As far as ISPA fond projects were concerned, the EU had given green light to the project Vinkovci – Tovarnik. (Hina)

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