Eastern Partnership Transport Panel
Eastern Partnership was inaugurated in May 2009 with the aim of improving cooperation with six countries of Eastern Europe and Southern Caucasus: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine.
Eastern Partnership Transport Panel was established on 23 September 2011 
[14 KB] . The Panel will facilitate implementation of measures set out in the Commission Communication "The EU and its neighbouring regions: A renewed approach to transport cooperation". Its goal is to strengthen transport connections with EU neighbours participating in the Partnership. It will address reforms underpinning gradual market integration, the planning of transport networks and the preparation of a pipeline of infrastructure projects.
The first Eastern Partnership Transport Panel was organised on 14 October 2011. At this meeting, the Eastern Partnership countries, EU Member States and International Financial Institutions discussed cooperation in aviation, priorities in infrastructure connections and prepared for the Eastern Partnership ministerial transport conference in Krakow, Poland on 25 October 2011.
The second meeting of the Panel took place on 21 February 2012 and followed up cooperation in rail transport, maritime safety and environmental protection as well as work on infrastructure connections. Activities of TRACECA framework, International Road Transport Union and East West Transport Corridor Association were reported at the meeting.
Ministerial Conference in Krakow 25 October 2011
Transport Ministers of EU Member States and of the Eastern Partnership countries met in Krakow, Poland on 25 October 2011 to take forward transport cooperation. They summarised priorities for cooperation in a Joint Declaration. [11 KB]
The Ministers launched officially the Eastern Partnership Transport Panel and entrusted it with the task of following up actions set out in the Commission Communication "The EU and its neighbouring regions: A renewed approach to transport cooperation".
TRACECA (Transport Corridor Europe-Caucasus-Asia)
Transport cooperation with countries in the South Caucasus and Central Asia aims to better link the EU and Asia. The EU is supporting the work of TRACECA Intergovernmental Commission, where countries in Central Asia, South Caucasus, in the EU´s Eastern Neighbourhood as well as some EU Member States (Romania, Bulgaria) are cooperating to develop a multi-modal corridor linking the EU and Asia. The EU is financing TRACECA activities through technical assistance under the European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument. Since 2004, the EU funded technical assistance projects have mostly focused on transport safety and security, legal harmonisation initiatives, trade facilitation and institutional support including training.
Currently the EU is financing the following technical assistance projects in the framework of TRACECA:
- Transport Dialogue and Networks Interoperability (4 mln EUR, 2009-2012)
- Logistics Processes and Motorways of the Seas II (5.5 mln EUR, 2011-2014)
- Land Transport Safety and Security (2.4 mln EUR, 2009-2012)
- Civil Aviation Project II (3 mln EUR, 2012-2015)
- Maritime Safety and security (2.4 mln EUR, 2009-2011)
