The 2020 Strategy for South-East Europe (SEE), launched by the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) is aimed at improving the living conditions in the region and to stimulate the development of the region and its competitiveness, guided by the EU Strategy “Europe 2020”. The implementation of the projects included in the strategy will significantly develop the SEE region by creating 1 million jobs, rising trade from EUR 94 Billion to EUR 210 Billion and increasing the GDP from 36% to 44%.
To increase and develop the economy, RCC focuses its priorities on transport and energy infrastructures which are an important integration factor. In this segment, the reconstruction and modernization of railway infrastructure is a method of reviving the other economic sectors. To this end, RCC has launched an initiative to benefit from political support in the coordination of railway infrastructure development and will continue to promote a regional approach for the urgent implementation of railway infrastructure reconstruction and modernization projects. According to the RCC report for 2012-2013, “an efficient transport infrastructure is a fundamental challenge for the SEE region. Currently, its financing is a lot less than necessary and, therefore, the governments and the business environment have to identify methods for increasing the efficiency of mobility to stimulate productivity and to create the premises for the efficient use of private funds in financing infrastructures”.
In order to meet objectives in this sector, in 2014-2016, “RCC and national administrations, SEETO and EU railway agencies will define necessary steps to discuss prio-rity projects, financial availabilities, as well as legal and institutional reforms”.
SEETO (South East Europe Transport Observatory) has been established to promote cooperation in transport development.
The development of the SEETO network in terms of completed and ongoing projects was limited to Corridor X and Corridor Vb, a large part of investments being ensured by the private side for the construction and rehabilitation of Corridor X (EUR 1.1 Billion) by 2020. According to the SEETO 2014 development plan, funds will be allocated for works on Corridor X. For Croatia, there is EU financing – EUR 487 Million and EUR 86 Million from the budget, Serbia benefits from a loan granted by Russia – EUR 251 Million, Kuwait – EUR 26 Million, EUR 155.1 Million from IFI and EUR 26.6 Million, EU funds. Macedonia also implements projects for the rehabilitation of Corridor X, for which the EU allocated a fund worth EUR 15.1 Million.
The implementation of the railway transport projects in SEE will result in optimising the efficiency of railway undertakings and infrastructure and will increase the competitiveness of railway traffic and the adaptation of SEE markets to the requirements of EU’s open market.
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