Il settore del trasporto aereo nei Balcani è cresciuto significativamente negli scorsi anni, compiendo un noteole salto di qualità. La regione ha sperimentato un sostenuto incremento nel numero di voli civili (trasporto di passeggeri e merci). La recente crescita del numero di passeggeri e rotte nei Balcani, è il risultato di una tendenza economica comune a tutta la regione.

After the first steps in the economic orientation towards the West, in the 1990s under the European political and financial influence, east European countries developed their transport systems with a systematic policy of integration with the western part of the continent. In this context, an essential factor that has decisively contributed to the development of airline routes between Emilia Romagna (an Italian region) and eastern Europe is trade (coupled with migrations).

The devastating effects of the wars that occurred in the Balkans have left the region to cope with a destroyed infrastructural system. The massive reconstruction aid promoted by EU agencies and banks is hepling rebuid and improve the transport sector in the region. Are the resulting infrastructures useful in the long run? Are them fit to develope a sustainable transportation system, or will they push the region towards an environmental and social dead end street?

Nel quadro della crescita economica dell'Europa centrale ed orientale, gli scambi di capitali, persone e merci hanno visto un incremento notevole soprattutto verso l’Europaoccidentale. Le due aree, fino a pochi anni fa nettamente divise, hanno integrato, non senza difficoltà e contraddizioni, le rispettive economie.

The European Commission programme, called TEN-T (Trans European Transport Network), is working as a groundwork for the enlarging and rationalizing of a trans-border transportation network. The lesser known, the less commonly utilized and the less developed of different transportation sectors is the river navigation. European inland waterways are seen as underdeveloped and their unexploited potential as means of transporting of goods is believed to be huge. Have the medium-long term effects of the planned infrastructural works, needed to carry on this project, been evaluated properly?

Durante gli ultimi dieci anni, il trasporto aereo nei Balcani si è espanso in dimensione e volume di voli. Ciò è accaduto in particolare per le rotte che connettono i Balcani con l'Europa occidentale. Il traffico aereo tra queste due parti del continente è aumentato del 150% negli ultimi dieci anni.

L’avanzamento dell’integrazione politico-economica europea ha costituito, e costituisce tutt’ora, il punto di riferimento per le capitali dell’est Europa. I trasporti hanno una particolare rilevanza in questo panorama ed il settore del trasporto aereo nell’Europa orientale e balcanica, non fa eccezione. Se questa situazione coinvolge diversi aeroporti diffusi in tutta Europa,emblematico è il caso dell’aeroporto di Forlì.

Il settore del trasporto aereo nell'Europa centrale ed orientale è migliorato negli ultimi venti anni a partire dal sistema aeroportuale sovietico pre-esistente. L'apertura delle economie dell'area ha portato ad un aumento degli scambi commerciali con l'Europa occidentale mentree gli investimenti diretti esteri provenienti da ovest hanno permesso il raggiungimento di importanti obiettivi.

The gas delivery seems to be one of the main open issues in the Nabucco poject. It should lessen the reliance on Russian energy supplies, by taking gas and oil in the continent form Azerbajan and Turkmenistan through Turkey. At the same time another russian gaspipe project, named Southstream, can seriously harm the european effort on the Nabucco project.

The progress on the way to a complete European integration in the field of economy and politics has been representing a reference point for the countries of eastern and Balkan Europe. For what concernes the air transport market, there are in the regions considered a noteworthly number of small and medium airports, which must quickly adapt themselves to the specific features of the european airport market. Under this view, the airport "Ridolfi" in Forlì is an example that fits.

This report focuses on: Today Bulgarian Railway; Transports' Policy and National Strategy on Transport-Infrastructures' Development; Main Projects Related to the new Railway; Modernization and Electrification of the Plovdiv-Svilengrad Line; New Railway-Road Bridge on the River Danubio between the Cities of Vidin (BUlgaria) and Calafat (Romania); Information about New Railway's Projects; Sofia, City Infrastructure; In-progress Projects; Sofia Metropolitan's Enlargment Projects; Other Projects

In the decade 2000-2010 political forces in the Balkans (Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Serbia, Kosovo, Montenegro, Macedonia, Albania, Romania and Bulgaria), inspite of many obstacles, proceeded to take on the challenge of leaving behind the events of the recent past. The positive influence of the European Union on the entire Balkan area has enabled economic growth to be anchored to European growth. One important example of this is the airport system in the Balkans, which has undergone marked progress in terms of development and modernization.

Rising oil prices, haigh pollution levels nd the global warming, have pushed East European intitutions to focus on replacing, as much as possible, coal and oil with natural gas. Moreover the dependence on foreign supplies and the monetary burden that it generates are persuading the authorities of the area to pursue alternative ways to gather the gas they need. One of the pioneering techniques to extract gas from the underground that is gaining ground in Eastern Europe is called “fracking”. It has has some strong consequences to the environment; will the benefits that it brings be higher than the costs?

The Danube River is the second longest river in Europe, flowing from southern Germany to the Romanian coast of the Black Sea. In addition to its role in Europe’s history, it is also an important commercial shipping route as well as a great natural ecosystem, fundamental for the ecological balance of the European continent. For the EU the issue is how to appropriately develop the river’s strengths in light of steadily increasing traffic on this waterway. Will it be possible without spoiling its ecological richness and the life of people who rely on it?

During the last few years Europe, along with many other countries in the world, has been moving steadily in the direction of developing nuclear energy (to generate electrical power). Apart from Western Europe, the above mentioned framework has been gladly accepted by Central and Eastern European governments. Is it a step towards progress or a dangerous and expensive threat?