- Published: 16.11.2005.
First International Conference and Exhibition on Intermodal Transport in Southeast Europe
The first international conference and exhibition "Intermodal transport in southeast Europe: Adriatic ports – Adriatic Gate of Europe" will be organized under the aegis of the Government of the Republic of Croatia, at the Ambasador Hotel in Opatija on 24 – 25 November 2005. The organizers of the meeting are the Intermodal Promotion Center from Zagreb, EIA- European Intermodal Association from Brussels and the Croatian-Austrian Chamber of trade from Gratz.
The conference will be organized in five plenary sessions, discussing following topics: EU policy and intermodality, Traffic policy and intermodality in southeast Europe, Adriatic ports and Intermodal network in the Danube-Adria region – State and development possibilities of intermodal transport, Equipment and industry of intermodal transport and Financing of intermodal transport projects - precondition of Europe transport enlargement to the Southeast.
The first day will open with an inaugural speech held by Božidar Kalmeta, Minister of the Sea, Tourism, Transport and Development. He will be discussing the transport policy in Croatia and intermodality. On the second day Kolinda Grabar Kitarović, Minister of Foreign affairs and European integration, will talk about the subject "Croatia at the beginning of EU access negotiations".
The conference will be attended by participants from Croatia, Italy, Austria, Germany, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovenia, representatives from the European Commission in Brussels and Zagreb, and representatives of international banking institutions. They will all state their reflections on the listed topics, also organized will be discussions and presentations. Companies which can support the modernization and development of intermodal transport will present themselves on exhibitions set up in the lobby of the Ambasador hotel.
The message of the meeting is that the recent opening of negotiations regarding Croatia’s membership to the EU has very much changed the views on the role and significance of the Adriatic – Danube transport region, an area inadequately linked with the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T). That is why, by promoting the co-operation of all transport sectors, that region should be prepared for joining the Trans-European Transport Network, in a manner which will turn the Adriatic ports into the ‘Adriatic Gate of Europe’.
