Mr. Sergii KRAVCHENKO- Project Coordinator also in charge of the Working Group on Transport and other transport related bodies/issues
kravchenko@bsec-organization.org Tel: +90 (212) 229 63 30-35 (Ext: 128)
Ukraine is the Coordinator for the Working Group on Transport from 1 January 2023 until 31 December 2024.
The key priorities in the field of transport are defined by Goal 3 “Establishment of an Efficient, Sustainable and Safe Transport Network” of the “BSEC Economic Agenda Towards a sustainable future of the wider Black Sea area”, adopted in 2023.
BSEC pays special attention to cooperation in the field of transport, focusing mainly on how to utilize effectively intra-region capacity and the growing transit potential of the Black Sea region. In 1992, BSEC established the Working Group on Transport and Communications. In 1994, the Working Group was divided into two working groups – transport and communications.
The Working Group on Transport has its regular meetings and it carries out its functions as a working organ of this cooperation. The Working Group is guided by a country-coordinator, which is elected on a biannual basis.
The meetings of the Ministers of Transport of the BSEC Member State constitute de-facto a decision making regular high-level transport forum with its mechanism of implementation - working group, steering committees and expert groups.
BSEC developed some important projects in the region.
There is cooperation on the gradual liberalization of transportation within the Memorandum of Understanding on Facilitation of Road Transport of Goods in the BSEC Region, signed in Kyiv in 2002. The work on the MoU was institutionalized by the establishment of the Steering Committee on Facilitation of Road Transport of Goods. The BSEC Permanent International Secretariat (PERMIS) carries out the duty of its secretariat. This work is being done in a close cooperation and with the valuable support of the International Road Transport Union (IRU) and the Union of the Road Transport Associations in the BSEC region (BSEC-URTA). The Steering Committee works on the issues of gradual liberalization of transport, PERMIT system, etc.
Cooperation on the development of road infrastructure was established within the Memorandum of Understanding for the Coordinated Development of the Black Sea Ring Highway (signed in Belgrade on 19 April 2007). The work on the project was institutionalized by the establishment of the Steering Committee which is the main driving force. A Joint Permanent Technical Secretariat was also established. On 1 November 2022 the Republic of Moldova and the Republic of Armenia assumed, respectively, the Chairmanship and the Vice-Chairmanship in the Steering Committee for a biannual period. The Secretariat is managed by the public Greek company “Ignatia Odos” (Thessaloniki).
Development of maritime infrastructure and links is under way within the Memorandum of Understanding on the Development of the Motorways of the Sea (MoS) in the BSEC Region (signed in Belgrade on 19 April 2007). The cooperation was also institutionalized - it is coordinated by the MoS Ad Hoc Working Group. On 1 November 2022 the Republic of Moldova and the Republic of Armenia assumed, respectively, the Chairmanship and the Vice-Chairmanship in the Working Group for a biannual period. The MoS Joint Technical Secretariat (JTS) is managed on a rotation basis.
The cooperation on intermodal transport is considered in the respective Task Force established by the Council especially for this area.
The projects also constitute regional contribution to the extension of Trans-European Networks and the development of Euro-Asian transport links.
In the meantime, parallel to its work on these projects, BSEC, as a project-oriented organization, continue exploring new areas where it is desirable and realistic to develop and deepen multilateral cooperation in a regional format in the transport sphere. Within this framework, special attention is paid to cooperation with other international organizations such as UNECE, UNDP, CEI, TRACECA, Danube Commission, IRU, IRF, UIC and the BSEC sectoral dialogue partners - BINSA and BSEC-URTA.
Additional measures taken at the border control points by Ukraine