Long-term and sustainable economic development cannot be attained in the Western Balkans without highly efficient transport networks. The Western Balkans has a key competitive advantage in this regard - its location. The region is home to six of the pan-European transport corridors that have been specifically designated as such by the European Union, linking northern and Western Europe to the rest of the Balkans, the Middle East, Central Asia, Russia and Ukraine. Also, the region is currently undergoing a long process of transition and reform in view of eventual accession to the European Union.

The core transportation network of the Western Balkans is a multimodal network, which includes road, rail and inland waterway links connecting the region, together with a number of designated seaports, river ports and airports. The road sector is the dominant one and receives the largest overall allocated funding. There is, however, a tremendous need to improve road quality throughout the region in order to reduce delays, congestion and pollution, and to improve safety. Railways are the weakest mode of transportation throughout the region. Inland waterways present the greenest and least expensive mode of transport; however, their disadvantage is the slowness of transport. Air travel is one of the most reliable mode of transport, with a number of strategically placed airports throughout the region. In the next few years “open skies” agreements will be in effect throughout almost the entire region, opening it up for very dense air traffic.

The aim of the U.S. – Balkans Business summit is to introduce summit participants to the current state of transport and supporting infrastructure development in the Western Balkans, and the business opportunities associated therewith. American businesses can play a vital role in developing these networks.

We are very pleased that Dr. Robert Martinez, Vice President Business Development of Norfolk Southern Corporation, will be giving opening remarks March 23. Norfolk Southern Corporation is a leading North American transportation provider. Its Norfolk Southern Railway subsidiary operates approximately 21,000 route miles in 22 states and the District of Columbia, serves every major container port in the eastern United States, and provides efficient connections to other rail carriers.  For his biography please visit here: Biography.

We are very pleased that His Excellency Rudo Vidovic, Minister of Communications and Transport of Bosnia and Herzegovina, will be a panelist for the transportation session.

We are very pleased that Kurt Nagle, President and CEO for the American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA), will be a panelist for the maritime panel.  Mr. Nagle has over 30 years of experience related to seaports and international trade. The AAPA is an alliance of the leading public port authorities throughout the Western Hemisphere.  Prior to joining AAPA, Mr. Nagle was Director of International Trade for the National Coal Association and Assistant Secretary for the Coal Exporters Association.  For his biography please visit here: Biography.

We are very pleased that Janet F. Kavinoky, Executive Director, Transportation & Infrastructure, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and Vice President, Americans for Transportation Mobility Coalition, will be a panelist for the transportation session. Ms. Kavinoky is a nationally recognized expert in transportation policy, funding, and finance and leads the U.S. Chamber’s efforts related to maintaining, modernizing, and expanding transportation and infrastructure. Ms. Kavinoky is vice president of the Chamber-led Americans for Transportation Mobility (ATM) Coalition, a nationwide effort by business, labor, transportation organizations, and concerned citizens to advocate for improved and increased federal investment in the nation’s aging and overburdened transportation system.

We are very pleased that F. Brooks Royster, III, Vice President at MTC Logistics, will be a panelist for the transportation session. Mr. Royster is the former Executive Director at the Maryland Port Administration, the former CEO at the Port of Miami Terminal Operating Co., and the former President at Riomar Agencies, Inc. Mr. Royster is responsible for international marketing of MTC Logistics' entire port folio of services including refrigerated distribution centers and logistics, and for identifying and evaluating M&A expansion possibilities.