BSEC Working Group on Transport: Strengthening the logistic chains in the BSEC region

Meeting of the BSEC Working Group on Transport was held online on 16 November 2021 with the participation of BSEC Ministries of Transport (MoT), BSEC observers such as PABSEC, TRACECA, BSEC-URTA and IRU.

BSEC Secretary General H. E. Lazar Comanescu greeted the participants and underlined the severe effects of the COVID-19 on the regional economies, and of course on international road transport and logistic chains.

The Secretary General drew attention to the efforts of the BSEC PERMIS during the COVID-19 period to promote contacts and cooperation between the BSEC Ministries of Transport, and also noted the work together with the BSEC-URTA to facilitate border crossing, especially in the context of congested border crossing points during COVID-19. H. E. Lazar Comanescu thanked BSEC-URTA and IRU for the contribution to the cooperation and common work during this hard period. Secretary General also highlighted the important outcome of the BSEC Working Group on Trade Facilitation; after the suggestion of BSEC-URTA, the e-CMR project in the BSEC region.

The Working group also discussed the items of BSEC Ring Highway, Motorways of the Sea, Facilitation of Border Crossings.

One of the important topics in the meeting was the e-CMR Project in the BSEC region, entered into the agenda by the proposal of BSEC-URTA. On the topic, Mr. Vadim Zakharenko, IRU General Delegate to Central Asia, shared the IRU experience concerning the electronic consignment note (e-CMR), highlighted some of the key challenges in implementing e-CMR and possible solutions, and underlined that it is the right time for the entrance of this important project by the advances in technology and data exchange. Mr. Zakharenko called to adopt the e-CMR convention those BSEC countries which didn’t yet become a part of it.

TRACECA also presented its projects in the field of transport, such as digitalization of transport documents and project of Single Transit Permit that is planned to be applicable during the whole itinerary of the transporter.

During the session on the development of intermodal transport, the IRU stressed the importance of accepting TIR subcontracting at the national level in all TIR Contracting Parties and encouraged the BSEC Member States to promote its use in accordance with Article 1 of the TIR Convention. This is necessary to strengthen links between different modes of transport to ensure stable and reliable international transport, as well as to prevent disruptions in supply chains, to accelerate recovery from the coronavirus and improve recovery. During the meeting, the BSEC-URTA strongly supported this proposal by the IRU.

At end of the meeting, the participants expressed their gratitude to outgoing Secretary General of the BSEC-URTA Mr. Adrian Iosif Albu for his valuable contribution to the work of the BSEC Organization and wished him success in his future endeavors.