Brussels, 13/02/2013 (Agence Europe) - A common transport network with the EU's eastern neighbours is expected to be approved this autumn. During an informal meeting of Eastern Partnership transport ministers European Commissioner for Transport Siim Kallas made sure that things “are going in the right direction”. He also said that he was ready to begin new aviation negotiations with the eastern neighbours, and offered European assistance for cross-border infrastructure projects.
This informal exchange took place in the Georgian capital of Tbilisi on Wednesday 13 February, where partners were working towards an agreement on the Eastern Partnership transport network being reached this autumn, at the Eastern Partnership Summit on 28-29 November, to be held under Lithuanian presidency. The aim is to connect the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) to key infrastructure in eastern neighbour countries. The Commissioner highlighted the need for “proper infrastructure connections” and expressed the hope that “work on defining how our networks can be best joined up will be finalised soon”. Putting in place this common network presupposes implementation of a number of infrastructure projects. Kallas is already set on obtaining an agreement on concrete and priority cross-border projects at the Autumn Ministerial Summit. To this end, the Commissioner declared: “we can offer technical assistance to prepare good interconnection projects and we work with the European financial institutions to leverage financing”.
He also stated that the EU was ready to begin new negotiations on aviation agreements with those countries in the region that wanted to and that, “through these agreements, we liberalise our aviation markets and gradually integrate neighbouring countries as full partners in the EU's common aviation area”. Agreements have already been concluded with Moldavia and Georgia and negotiations were currently underway with Azerbaijan and Ukraine. In the area of land transport, the Commissioner called on neighbouring countries to adopt the European traffic management system (ERTMS) and introduce European road safety standards. Overall, in terms of bringing the EU and its eastern neighbours closer together, the Commissioner that “our role in the EU services is to be a facilitator”. (MD/transl.fl)