Final Conference of the ADRIPASS Project
After three years of fruitful collaboration, the ADRIPASS project partnership, led by the Central European Initiative (CEI) – Executive Secretariat, organized the project’s final conference in virtual format on the theme “Strategies and tools to reduce cross-border obstacles”.
Around 70 participants attended the event, including key European and international speakers.
Dr. Roberto Antonione, Secretary General of CEI, welcomed the participants, stressing that strengthening the transport network and promoting connectivity among CEI member states is high on the CEI agenda. He also emphasized that the innovative approach adopted within the ADRIPASS project successfully promoted sustainable multimodal transport, significantly contributing to the social and economic integration of the ADRION region.
Dr. Barbara Di Piazza, Head of the Joint Secretariat of the Interreg ADRION Programme, recalled that over the past five years the programme has focused its objectives on European cohesion with a view to a broader and more inclusive EU, also by supporting the creation of partnerships that include IPA countries.
In her opening speech, Dr. Sandra Sodini, Director of the EGTC Euregio Senza Confini, underlined that cross-border obstacles can be overcome through legislative and administrative support from the competent authorities. The EGTC Euregio Senza Confini, together with the EGTC Europaregion and the six Italian and Austrian regions involved, is currently working on identifying existing obstacles in their territories to establish a common legislative framework and targeted protocols to enhance the potential of the shared area. Dr. Sodini also stressed the importance of ADRIPASS results, since interoperability between ports and multimodal networks in the ADRION area is one of the key strategic goals pursued by the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region in recent years.
Dr. Matej Zakonjšek, Director of the Transport Community Permanent Secretariat (TCT), highlighted that transport facilitation and multimodality are two fundamental priorities for TCT to integrate the Western Balkans’ transport market into the EU. He stressed the importance of considering the transport sector as a system. Integrating Western Balkan ports into sustainable multimodal transport systems, and improving their links to rail and road, will be crucial for the region’s economic recovery after the COVID-19 era. Therefore, the ADRIPASS project, he said, can contribute with its best practices and results to improving the performance of the logistics corridor. To this end, he announced the signing of a letter of support for the ADRIPASS transnational strategy.
The links between ADRIPASS project activities and the EU Strategy for the Adriatic-Ionian Region (EUSAIR) are numerous. One of ADRIPASS’s main objectives was to promote multimodal connections between maritime areas and the hinterland in the ADRION region, a feature classified by EUSAIR as particularly relevant to its strategy and for which it granted ADRIPASS official labeling. Prof. Pierluigi Coppola, Coordinator of EUSAIR’s Pillar 2, illustrated the strategic priorities of the European Strategy for the Adriatic-Ionian Macroregion and the added value of ADRIPASS. He also highlighted the potential synergies between EUSAIR and the project, with a view to possible follow-ups and capitalizing on the achieved results. Coppola noted that ADRIPASS provided essential contributions to the development of the EUSAIR Masterplan thanks to knowledge gained through pilot actions and insights into border crossing barriers in the ADRION region. The proposed soft measures, smart solutions and ICT tools helped avoid expanding existing infrastructures while fostering a seamless, competitive intermodal connection for freight and passenger transport.
The ADRIPASS partners presented recommendations and good practices from analyses and surveys focused on the future of integrated multimodal transport, the measures included in the ADRIPASS Transnational Action Plan for transport facilitation in the Adriatic-Ionian Region, and the results of pilot actions using ICT tools to improve multimodal transport. The key points of the ADRIPASS transnational strategy for improving multimodal transport and accessibility in the ADRION area were presented as the final result of the project, laying the foundation for a strong transnational cooperation network.
Dr. Ulf Wikström (Interact) moderated the round table focused on improving the efficiency of transport corridors through soft measures and ICT. The debate confirmed the need for a more unified and sustainable multimodal transport system to link the EU with the Western Balkans, supported by transnational cooperation and joint efforts to engage policy makers. It was noted that the region shows significant differences from country to country, which should be overcome through a pan-European approach and the adoption of the identified measures (digitalization, streamlining of border crossing procedures, soft measures, infrastructure upgrades) through coordinated political commitment.
The ADRIPASS cooperation network, made up of all project partners, the Transport Ministries of the countries involved and some regional organizations, will collect ADRIPASS recommendations and inputs for their effective implementation.