When the Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe (Stability Pact) was created, infrastructure in South Eastern Europe (SEE) was generally below European standards and had been severely affected by direct war damage, which destroyed or rendered unusable important components of the infrastructure and /or by neglection and under-investment in all infrastructure sub-sectors mainly due to lack of funding.   While the direct war damage has been concentrated on strategic and neuralgic points of infrastructure, the omission of   regular maintenance affected the least geographical corner – independently if it has been subject of bellicose arguments or not.

There was a crucial need not only for upgrading of existing infrastructures and rehabilitation of those that had been damaged but also for new infrastructures to meet growing demand and ensure better integration within the region and with the rest of Europe. Total investment needs were estimated at € 4 billion for road, € 12 billion for rail and a tentative figure of € 21 billion for power generation only.

Given the already high indebtedness, the precarious macro-economic situation and the limited implementation capacities of most countries of SEE at the time, it was obvious that the countries would need to rely to a large extent on international institutions. It was essential for both the countries and the international organisations to adopt a strategic approach at a regional level which would avoid inconsistencies and duplications. This was the purpose of the Infrastructure Steering Group (ISG) set up in 2001 following a meeting of Stability Pact Working Table II (economic reconstruction, cooperation and development) in Tirana in May 2001

Direct Links to:

• SEE ISG
• IFIAG

Besides the activities in the transport and energy sector launched through the Infrastructure Steering Group and the International Financial Institutions (IFI) Advisory Group (IFIAG), the Stability Pact concentrated its activities in following domain.

I. The development of Inland Waterways through the programs/initiatives

• Danube Cooperation Process
• The Danube Technical Meetings (and in future as follow up the Partnership for Improvement of Danube Infrastructure and Navigation) and
• the Initiative SAVA RIVER BASIN COMMISSION  [http://www.savacommission.org ] 
  
  

II. The development of air traffic management and the normalisation of the
      air traffic in the region via

• South East Europe Functional Airspace Block Approach - SEE FABA
• Implementation of Single European Sky in South East Europe – ISIS
  

III. Regional Transport Cooperation

Archives - Documents

• Working Table II Meeting in Bucharest, Regional Table, 15-16 November 2006:
  • Background Information
    
    

• Read more about the Task Force on Infrastructure (2005)

• SEE FABA Newsletter - December 2006
• Regional Table in Prague, 15-16 November 2005
  • Progress Report
• Regional Table in Sofia, 17-19 May 2005
  • Regional Infrastructure Strategies and Projects in SEE

    • ISG Workplan
  • Single European Sky
  • SES Brochure
  • Danube Co-operation Process
  • PPP Taskforce meeting 2004
  • Hot Spots for Capacity Building under PEIP Work Plan - April 2005
  • Infrastructure Steering Group Meeting – March 2, 2005
  • Infrastructure Steering Group, Environment Sector Meeting - April 2005
  • SEETO /  Briefing N°1
  • SEETO /  Network Projects
  • SEE Core Transports Network
  • CEB Presentation: Infrastructure and Social development in SEE
• Implementation of Regional Infrastructure Projects Status as of November 2004
• Overview of Environment Projects in the Western Balkans, as of November 2004
• ISG presentation, 7 June 2004
• Regional Infrastructure Report May 2004
• Regional Infrastructure Project List May 2004
• High Level ISG meeting, 6 February 2004
• The Regional Strategic Approach developed in the framework of the Infrastructure Steering Group for South-East Europe
• Regional Infrastructure Programme and Projects - Review by the Infrastructure Steering Group (ISG) - Status per December, 15 2002
• Field Visit to the Bucharest-Cernavoda Road construction site
• EBRD-SEE infrastructure (power point presentation)
• The EIB and the Stability Pact (power point presentation)
• Infrastructural Projects with Financing Plan Secured, as of 15 October 2001
• Report on Regional Infrastructure Projects under the Quick Start Program (PDF doc)
• Transport and Energy Infrastructure in SEE (PDF document)

For further information,

please Contact:

Regional Cooperation Council