The Black Sea Ring Highway Caravan started its journey of some 7,500 km from Belgrade to Istanbul, through the 12 BSEC Member States around the
Initiated by the BSEC Organisation, supported by the BSEC Member Governments and organised jointly by the IRU and BSEC-URTA, in cooperation with IRU Member associations and other national road transport organisations, the objectives of this public-private partnership are to:
- promote road transport facilitation across the BSEC region
- collect en route data, such as border waiting times, procedures and charges in the BSEC region
- examine the infrastructure all along the official
Black Sea Ring Highway routes.
After the signature today by BSEC Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Coordinated Development of the Black Sea Ring Highway, Vuk Draskovic, BSEC Chairman-in-office and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Serbia, declared, “We, the BSEC countries, are aware of the key role of road transport in trade and prosperity among the Member States. The MoU we signed today and this Caravan will mark a new episode in the building of a future modern, integrated and liberal BSEC transport market.”
The Secretary General of the BSEC Organisation, Ambassador Leonidas Chrysanthopoulos, emphasised, “Signature of the MoU on the Black Sea Ring Highway inaugurates the project oriented era of the BSEC Organization. The Black Sea Ring Highway Caravan consisting of 12 trucks from each Member
IRU Secretary General, Martin Marmy, added, “In a globalised economy, road transport has become a vital production tool. Only with effective road transport will BSEC countries better connect their economies to each other and the world. IRU is, therefore, fully supporting your efforts, which will also pave the way to re-vitalising the Great Silk Road between Europe and Asia.“
BSEC-URTA President, Vladimir Florea, concluded, “By identifying all obstacles to efficient goods transport between BSEC countries and around the Black Sea basin, from visas for professional drivers to loading permits, the caravan will significantly contribute to the facilitation of road transport in the region.”
