RCC Secretary General and European Commission Director discuss transport priorities in South East Europe

Hido Biscevic, Secretary General of the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC), met today with Marjeta Jager, Director for General Policy at the Directorate General for Mobility and Transport (DG MOVE) of the European Commission, to discuss transport sector priorities in South East Europe.

“It is necessary to translate current political spirit of cooperation in South East Europe into concrete projects, in particular in transport sector”, said Biscevic. “Large-scale infrastructure development is needed for a sustainable economic growth, in particular in railway sector, to link the region with European corridors and the fast growing economies.

Biscevic underlined that the region should pull together resources to concentrate on large scale trans-national projects.

Reiterating the importance the Commission attaches to the region, Jager welcomed RCC role in garnering political support and providing know-how in donor coordination in transport area, highlighting a need for a comprehensive and inclusive approach.

She announced her participation in the presentation of a World Bank study on railroad infrastructure in South East Europe, in Brussels on 14 June 2011, to be co-chaired by the World Bank and the Commission’s DG MOVE.

The two officials discussed potential for further cooperation in the fields of common interest in Western Balkans and South East Europe, in view of RCC Secretariat’s Strategy and Work Programme 2011-2013 and EU priorities, including the necessity to conclude talks on the Transport Community Treaty.