Securing a common vision

The allied transport projects met again to give a progress update on their various analyses, strategies, action plans and manuals, and to brainstorm on key performance indicators for green transport corridors. The cooperation scheme that originally included TransBaltic, EWTCII and Scandria has now 9 participating projects with Rail Baltica Growth Corridor, NECL II (Midnordic Green Transport Corridor), Bothnian Green Logistic Corridor, StratMoS and BSR InnoShip - a set up that resembles the Maritime Transport Cluster cooperation scheme, recently launched in the North Sea Region Programme.
Seeing the importance of the gathered competence in the umbrella cooperation, the Baltic Transport Outlook (BTO) Secretariat agreed to a notion of a joint seminar, with the BTO Steering Committee members attending, to discuss the content of the draft final Baltic Transport Outlook study and the way the umbrella projects could assist in further dissemination of the BTO results after the study is finalised in late 2011.

In general discussion on streamlining the various transport planning processes, a significant role was attributed to the Northern Dimension Partnership on Transport and Logistics (NDPTL), which is deemed a relevant arena to debate the findings of both the BTO and the umbrella projects at the overall BSR level, with participation of the EU neighbouring countries.

The meeting, being the first occasion for the three parties to exchange information and share ideas for collaboration, saw also some other benefits - an opportunity to harmonise visions on the future transport networks in the Region. As BTO strives to create a BSR-specific strategic network, complementary to the Commission's TEN-T core and comprehensive network, the NDPTL aspires to do likewise, with active participation of Russia and Belarus. In that respect, the umbrella projects orientate themselves to develop a green transport network, with services, technologies and education issues added to the infrastructure layer. For that reason the projects agreed to sign a joint letter of intent to DG MOVE offering assistance in developing the green transport network of the European Union, based on accumulated knowledge, experience and links to relevant stakeholders in the BSR transport corridors.