DC participation at the Connecting Europe Days 2024 in Brussels

Connecting Europe Days 2024, Europe’s mobility flagship event, was held on 2-5 April in Brussels, Belgium. The event was organised together with the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the EU.

Connecting Europe Days brought together more than 2,500 participants from all EU Member States and neighboring third countries, in particular the Western Balkan partners as well as Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova and Georgia. Participants include Ministers, politicians, financial institutions, industry representatives, transport stakeholders, river commissions and the European Commission and related agencies.

The first day, three innovative vessels called at the port of Brussels to show technical developments in zero and low carbon navigation to high-level participants of the Connecting Europe Days. These vessels and an exhibition with more examples demonstrate transition and zero-emission technologies such as battery-electric, gas-electric, and hydrogen. Next to that a number of new developments in terms of remote control and deployment of innovative technologies in inland waterway transport were highlighted.

Representatives of the DC Secretariat participated in numerous workshops on inland navigation and ports as well as in plenary sessions dedicated to the finalization and soon implementation of the TEN-T Regulation and the future financial framework for transport. Particular attention was paid to communication with stakeholders from all EU and DC member states as well as with EU-funded project leaders.

The conference was hosting a Marketplace for innovative companies, project promoters and initiatives from the public and private sector across Europe to pitch their transport projects.

The active role of the DC Secretariat representatives was particularly highlighted in the meeting of Rhine-Danube Corridor Meeting held on 5 April 2024. The same day was held the first meeting of the Western Balkans – Eastern Mediterranean European Transport Corridor’s (WBEM). The WBEM Corridor is one of the new European Transport Corridors under the revised TEN-T Regulation.

43 European transport organisations, representing the key spectrum of Europe’s transport network, are again joining forces in a campaign to urge the Council and the European Parliament to increase the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) budget for transport in the upcoming review of the Multi-Annual Financial Framework.

It was concluded that the transport sector is of strategic importance in responding to Europe’s geostrategic, environmental and capacity challenges.