News

Asian and European transport leaders meet in Vilnius for ASEM

On 19 October 2009 the first ever organised Asia-Europe Transport Development Forum starts in Vilnius, Lithuania. Business proposals for future cooperation of both continents and key messages of the Forum will be delivered to the 1^st ASEM Transport Ministers' Meeting taking place in Vilnius on 19-20 October.

"The message of the 1^st ASEM Transport Ministers' Meeting is clear and definite - Lithuania does not confine to its own region. Our country is the initiator of global business processes and the partner in the development of transport corridors and logistics chains" - says Eligijus Masiulis, Minister of Transport and Communications of Lithuania. 

Transport Development Forum will analyse the principal trends of global economy and its impact on transport and logistics. It will discuss the attitude of business toward the demands of transport infrastructure linking Europe and Asia, as well as in regard to investments required for the development of this infrastructure, and explore the opportunities of public-private partnership in the sector.   

The Forum is attended by significant stakeholders of international transport, such as "Hupac Intermodal SA", "Shanghai International Port (Group) Co.", "Community of European Railway and Infrastructure Companies", "China Shipping Container Lines", "Maersk Line", China Ocean Shipping Company COSCO, International Road Transport Union (IRU), the World Bank, Russian Railways and others - more than 200 participants.

The attitude of business towards the development of European and Asian transport system will be presented by participants to the 1^st ASEM Transport Ministers' Meeting (ASEM TMM).

On 19 October, at 10.00 the Ministerial Meeting on "Rail Baltica" development will commence. Perspectives of implementation of "Rail Baltica" project and its future plans will be discussed by the EC Transport Commissioner and Transport Ministers of Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Finland.

On 19 October, at 14.00 the 1^st ASEM Transport Ministers' Meeting will open in Vilnius. Ministers and/or their representatives from ASEM member states, high-level officials of the European Commission, representatives of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Secretariat will take part in the Meeting. (ASEM countries are: EU member states and Southeast Asian countries, such as China, Japan, India, Korea, Singapore, etc.). 35 delegations of countries of both continents have confirmed their participation.

Note:

Asia-Europe Transport Development Forum and the Ministerial Meeting on "Rail Baltica" development will be held in the Conference Centre of the Hotel "Crowne Plaza Vilnius" (M. K. Ciurlionio Str. 84, Vilnius).

1^st ASEM Transport Ministers' Meeting will be held in the Conference Centre of the Hotel "Reval Hotel Lietuva" (Konstitucijos Av.  20).

More information on the above events is available on the website: http://www.asemtransport.org/.

N.B.: Access to the venues of the events will be granted only to accredited media!