15 September 2016 Conference, Development of the Rail System in South-Eastern Europe (see)

The support of the Government of the Kingdom of the Netherlands through the training project for TRAINKOS executive staff culminated in creating the opportunity to organize the Conference held on September 15, 2016. This Conference was approved and supported by all relevant stakeholders, considering the radical change processes in the railway sector in the Republic of Kosovo, support from the EU and International Financial Institutions (IFIs), as well as the suitable timing for holding the first conference on railways.

The Conference organized by TRAINKOS—hosted by the Ministry of Infrastructure, which formulates and implements the development policies for this sector—brought together domestic and international institutions that directly and indirectly impact the development of railway transport inside and outside the country. Specifically, active participants in the Conference included state and public institutions of the Republic of Kosovo such as: MI, MED, MF, RRA, INFRAKOS, and TRAINKOS, IFIs (EBRD, EIB, and World Bank), the European Commission Liaison Office, SEETO, the European railway association – CER, and local and international business representatives.

The Conference was organized and held across three sessions:

1. Development of the railway sector in SEE, infrastructure and government services, financial institutions, railway entities, and international companies;

2. Implementation of investments by international institutions; and

3. Discussions at three roundtables on: a) public-private partnerships, procurement procedures, and investment opportunities for foreign companies; b) maintenance of infrastructure and rolling stock from a regional perspective; and c) professional development of the regional railway sector.

From the discussions and conclusions of the Conference, concrete results are expected regarding the implementation of the action plan (2015–2020) specified in the "Sectoral Strategy and Multimodal Transport" of the Government of Kosovo, as well as the "Soft Measures" for the period 2016–2020 outlined in the document issued by SEETO.

Actions to achieve success with this initiative require greater mobilization and commitment from all relevant stakeholders than ever before! Support in these processes has been guaranteed by the ECLO through WBIF, IPA, and TAIEX.