On 27 April, the Slovenian capital of Ljubljana hosted the Eastern Partnership Transport Ministerial meeting, which took place in the framework of the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) days in the country.
The aim of the meeting was to foster transport connectivity between the European Member States and Eastern Partner countries (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine), as well as to make border crossings more efficient and raise road safety.
The six Eastern Partner countries, as well as EU Member States were represented by key decision-makers in the area of transport and connectivity.
During the meeting, European Commissioner for Transport Violeta Bulc stressed that the EU’s commitment to ensuring cooperation with its Neighbourhood countries in the area of Transport is further accelerated in the framework of the “20 Deliverables for 2020”. She stressed the importance of adopting a comprehensive investment plan to structure these investments.
According to the EU, the comprehensive investment plan would foresee investments totalling €3 billion by 2020 and up to €9 billion by 2030. Commissioner Bulc also linked investments with road safety and enhanced policy dialogue.
The meeting also endorsed the Eastern Partnership Declaration on Road Safety, which, according to the EU press release, “confirms the political commitment by the six Eastern Partner countries in this important area which has a direct impact on the life of the citizens across the region”.
