Blue Connectivity: Maritime and Inland Waterways in the Balkans Peninsula

Asset-Herausgeber

Blue Connectivity: Maritime and Inland Waterways in the Balkans Peninsula

Following the study “Next Stop Europe: Railways in the Western Balkans”, the “Blue Connectivity: Waterborne Transport in the Balkans Peninsula” examines another critical and overlooked avenue of communication in the Western Balkans: its inland and maritime waterways. Western Balkan Waterway connectivity rests on two pillars: the Danube with its network of tributary rivers, and the Adriatic Sea. Unlike railroads, waterways are natural phenomena and cannot be as easily compartmentalized into manmade categories.

28. September 2022 Bestellinformationen

Asset-Herausgeber

The overarching aim of this study is to provide a modest but impactful contribution to the wider agenda of connecting the region itself, as well as bringing it closer to the EU. The EU has been connected with the region intensively for decades. Complementary to the Enlargement, a systemic hallmark of EU engagement with the Western Balkans is the Berlin Process. The Berlin Process framework has proved to be effective and resilient over the years and has been bringing the region closer together.

The study presents a comprehensive and unique picture of the state of waterborne connectivity in the region and within the wider Western Balkan Transport Corridor. It also provides suggestions for policy improvements, which would facilitate greater connectivity within the region.