In a new report entitled "Transport and Energy Infrastructure in South Eastern Europe", the European Commission Services outline a set of criteria to guide future investment decisions aiming at improving and rehabilitating regional, cross-country infrastructure networks in South East Europe.

In the transport sector, the strategy calls for networks that interconnect all capitals and cities of major regional importance inside the region, and provide connections to and from the capitals of the neighbouring countries. As a principle, priority is given to the use of existing infrastructure, by repairing and rehabilitating it. In most cases, upgrading or new infrastructure would be kept to a minimum in the near term.

Similarly, the strategy for the electricity sector focuses on the reinforcement, rehabilitation and development of interconnections between electricity networks of the region, permitting or facilitating the exchange of electricity and promoting the development of a regional electricity market. The report further suggests that regional networks should be interconnected (and synchronized) with the European electrical interconnected network UCTE. Strategies for the oil and gas sectors are also included in the report.

The strategies and criteria presented will set the context for more detailed work in the development of the transport and energy sectors. This includes the Transport Infrastructure Regional Study (TIRS) as well as three national studies financed by the EU in the context of the CARDS program in the energy sector (electricity, oil and gas).

The document made available here is the final draft of the report, which was discussed at the Working Table II meeting in Tirana, on May 21-23, 2001.