European Commission and Albanian authorities discuss the future of the Transport Community Treaty for the Western Balkans

TIRANA, March 25 – The European Commission and Albanian authorities discussed the future of the Transport Community Treaty for the Western Balkans.
The European Commission, with Jonathan Scheele, Director in the European Commission Directorate General for Transport and Energy (DG TREN), was on a two-day’s visit for the preparation of the negotiations on the Transport Community Treaty for the Western Balkans.
The Treaty aims to establish an integrated market for infrastructure and land transport, maritime transport and inland waterways and to align the relevant legislation in the Western Balkans region with the EU legislation, so as to enable transport users and the general public to benefit sooner from the advantages of a single transport market, even before accession.
The team had high level consultations and technical discussions with the Albanian transport authorities to collect their comments on the first draft of the Treaty as well as to present the final schedule of negotiations and to prepare for multi-lateral meetings in May and June this year.
The treaty will help to accelerate the integration of the transport systems and to harmonize rules on safety, environmental protection and services. A Transport Community is a solid way to foster cooperation, stability and peace in the region. Also, for the Western Balkans, this Community will go alongside the rapid development of a region with exceptional economic potential, providing a major boost to sustainable economic growth and the revitalization of the rail network. It aims to increase competitiveness of regional transport systems.
For the EU, the Transport Community will help promote stability and prosperity throughout Europe. It will also allow in the future to expand the trans-European transport network and contribute to the further development of the internal market.