Round Table Discussion on EU and Belarus Transport Policy Takes Place in Minsk

On February 4, the Office for a Democratic Belarus, in close cooperation with the EU Delegation in Minsk, the Belarusian Institute for Strategic Studies (BISS) and with financial support of the Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA), organized a round table discussion on “EU and Belarus transport policy: sharing knowledge”. The event took place in Minsk and brought together experts from the European Commission, the Lithuanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Academy of Science of the Republic of Belarus, various research institutions, entrepreneurs, representatives of the analytical community, independent and state media agencies. The event was also attended by the former Minister of Transport, Uladzimir Sasnouski.

Three sessions of the conference were dedicated to questions of the current state of the EU-Belarus cooperation in the area of transport and future perspectives, development and modernization of the national transport system in Belarus, harmonization of Belarusian transport policy with  EU regulations.

According to Valiantsina Liavonchyk, deputy chairwoman of the Belarusian Union of Transport Workers, the integration of Belarus’ transport system into the EU structure is not possible without harmonisation of its legislative norms with international standards, ratification of conventions and participation of Belarus in various international transport unions and associations.
In the concluding session of the event, Uladzimir  Sasnouski said he hoped this round table would give a good start to the process of dialogue among different stakeholders that deal with transport in Belarus. One should look for effective mechanisms of dialogue, he said, both inside the country and with foreign partners. He also expressed his gratitude to the organizers for the attention dedicated to the given field and called for continuation of the programme. Uladzimir Sasnouski  stressed the urgent need for action in the field of public transport and the establishment of contacts with the Brussels-based International Association on Public Transport.

Transport Policy EC and Republic of BELARUS