TRIESTE – Trieste will host on 16 and 17 March a series of meetings dedicated to connectivity between Europe, the Balkans and the Indo-Mediterranean, with particular attention to the India-Middle East-Europe Corridor (IMEC) and the presence of foreign minister Antonio Tajani.
The first event is scheduled for Monday 16 March at the Savoia Excelsior Palace with “Priority Actions: Upper Adriatic Interoperability & Balkan Connectivity”, organised by the Trieste Summit Association. The meeting will focus on infrastructure investment and logistics cooperation between the Upper Adriatic, Central Europe and the Balkans, with an update on the IMEC project to be delivered by the Italian special envoy Francesco M. Talò.
Participants include Trieste mayor Roberto Dipiazza, Friuli Venezia Giulia governor Massimiliano Fedriga, members of the European Parliament and operators from the logistics and rail sectors. The programme includes a panel on infrastructure investment for Trieste and the surrounding area, followed by a second discussion on links between the Adriatic, Central and Eastern Europe and the Western Balkans. Speakers listed include, among others, the president of the Eastern Adriatic Sea Port Authority Marco Consalvo, HHLA PLT Italy chief executive Antonio Barbara, Luka Koper marketing director Borut Šemrl and representatives of European rail and intermodal operators.
The following day, Tuesday 17 March, the Generali Convention Center will host two consecutive events with the participation of foreign minister Antonio Tajani. In the morning, the conference marking the 30th anniversary of the Central European Initiative (CEI) will take place, organised by the CEI Executive Secretariat in cooperation with the Istituto Affari Internazionali. The plenary session will feature speeches by Tajani himself, CEI secretary general Franco Dal Mas, governor Fedriga and IAI president Michele Valensise. Proceedings will continue with panels dedicated to European strategic cooperation and regional connectivity. In the afternoon, again at the Generali Convention Center, the IMEC Forum entitled “Developing an Indo-Mediterranean Perspective through the IMEC Network” is scheduled, promoted by the foreign ministry. The meeting is intended to explore the role of the India-Middle East-Europe Corridor as a new trade route between Asia, the Mediterranean and the European continent. The project, launched in 2023 during the G20 summit in New Delhi, aims to create an integrated network of maritime, rail and energy infrastructure between India, the Gulf and Europe.
