THE ACCESSIBILITY ASSESSMENT OF REGIONAL TRANSPORT NETWORK IN THE SOUTH EAST EUROPE

Abstract

Development of transport infrastructure and establishment of effective transport systems is a prerequisite for the achievement of broad based economic growth which is one of the European and Southeast European major development goals. Due to the lack of intraregional connectivity within the South East Europe (SEE), certain parts of the region have limited access to regional, European and global markets. Mentioned imbalance of accessibility to services, markets and opportunities for further social and economic progress is an obstacle for overall development of the SEE region. The research is thematically oriented on the assessment of road, rail and air passenger transport accessibility in the SEE with the aim of providing scientific overview of current regional transport network connectivity serving as basis for further identification of potential improvement measures. The research is conducted on the SEETO Comprehensive Network that was established as a main output of joint cooperation between seven Regional Participants and the European Commission as a result of signing of the Memorandum of Understanding for the Development of the Core Regional Transport Network (MoU) in 2004. The multimodal Core Regional Transport Network defined under the MoU represents a commonly agreed main and ancillary transport infrastructure in the SEE, which is the base for the implementation of transport related investments programmes.