Brussels, 07/11/2006 (Agence Europe) - Representatives from the transport sector in 35 EU and Mediterranean rim countries will be meeting on 9-10 November in Monaco to pursue a detailed study of the implementation of Trans-Mediterranean networks in this sector. The conference will be addressed by both the vice president of the Commission, Jacques Barrot, and the vice president of the European Investment Bank (EIB), Philippe de Fontaine Vive, and is organised by the EIB. The conference aims to mobilise public and private resources through a European financial instrument (FEMIP) to develop the whole range of inter-modal transport components (maritime, freight, air, land) throughout the EuroMed area.
Henry Marty-Gauquié an official at the EIB in charge of this dossier explained, “regional integration is essential for ensuring partner countries with the means underpinning sustainable development of 6-7% over the next two decades”. This integration is considered necessary for “meeting the demographic challenge in countries of the region, modernise their economies and facilitate their successful insertion into globalisation”. The EIB therefore is focusing on transport and energy - sectors that are the most easy to integrate - in speeding up the harmonisation process. The boost to this strategy was given in December 2005 during the Marrakech conference of transport ministers in the EuroMed area. The reference framework for this policy is the “blue book” on an integrated Euro-Mediterranean transport system adopted by the Commission at the end of 2004. Joint structures were set up, including the European Transport Forum which meets up every year. Through the FEMIP mechanism, the EIB lent €5bn for regional infrastructure. It did say, however, that it was “aware that the objective would require substantial investigations that could not be sustained by public finance alone”. The EIB hopes that orientations established by the Monaco conference will help to “plan investments better, promote sectoral reforms and provide a catalyst to private finance targeting infrastructure projects”.
In the aviation domain the objective aims to promote the EuroMed “single sky”. The priority in maritime transport is to implement a “multi-modal system”. Developing the “Motorways of the sea” linking up 45 ports in the region is expected to help to better manage traffic flows, which, according to estimates are expected to double over the next 20 years. 11% of resources mobilised up to now by the EIB for Mediterranean transport has gone to ports, 15% aviation, 47% road transport, 9% rail and 18% urban transport. (fb)