The Euro-Asian Transport Links (EATL) Project

The Euro-Asian Transport Links (EATL) project is a joint undertaking between the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP). In close cooperation with designated national focal points from 18 countries in the Euro-Asian region, the EATL project has identified main Euro-Asian road and rail routes for priority development and cooperation. An Expert Group established under the project proved to be a good cooperation mechanism for the coordinated development of coherent Euro-Asian inland transport links. Results of this work are available in the EATL Study produced jointly by UNECE and UNESCAP.

This UNECE-UNESCAP endeavor is part of a wider United Nations Development Account (UNDA) project on capacity building in developing interregional land and land-cum-sea transport linkages, implemented by the five United Nations Regional Commissions. The aim is to assist Member States in strengthening their national capacities to develop interregional transport linkages and to promote interregional cooperation to facilitate trade and tourism.

Phase I of the project was carried out from 2002 to 2007. UNECE and UNESCAP have elaborated a joint proposal for a Phase II to be implemented during a four-year period from 2008 to 2012.

Participating countries include Afghanistan , Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bulgaria, China, Georgia, Greece, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Romania, Russian Federation, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan. The Government of Mongolia has expressed interest in joining the Euro-Asian project. More...

Group of Experts on Euro-Asian Transport Links

Globalization has led to significant increases in trade and transport between Asia and Europe.  While most of the traffic has used – increasingly congested - maritime routes, further development of inland transport routes would provide credible and competitive additional transport options.  Once established, these efficient and integrated inland routes could become an effective tool for economic development and integration of the Euro-Asian region, including facilitating greater participation in the globalization process by Central Asia’s landlocked countries.

To address issues of inadequate transport infrastructure, internationally un-harmonized transport rules and cumbersome, costly and time-consuming border crossing procedures, the UNECE and UNESCAP worked closely in 2003-2007 with governments of the Euro-Asian region as part of a global UN Development Account Capacity-building Project.   The project’s results included the identification of main Euro-Asian inland transport routes, prioritization of infrastructure projects, development of GIS database, first analysis of non-physical obstacles, organization of six national capacity-building workshops and publication of the final study.

The first phase of the Euro-Asian Transport Linkages (EATL) project ended in 2008 with the Ministerial Meting in Geneva where high level representatives of 19 countries signed a joint statement on future development of Euro-Asian transport links calling for continuation of the EATL project in 2008-2011. 

In early 2008, the UNECE began establishing an institutional structure to make further EATL work possible.  On 19-21 February 2008, the UNECE’s Inland Transport Committee agreed to establish a Group of Experts on Euro-Asian Transport Links and adopted its terms of reference.  The primary objective of the Expert Group is to ensure monitoring and co-ordination of the activities related to developing efficient, safe and secure Euro-Asian inland transport links.  Its duration is set for two years with a possibility of further extension. More...

Meeting of Transport Ministers from countries in the Euro-Asian region, 19 February 2008

Transport Ministers and High-Level Officials from countries across the Euro-Asian region and Western Europe, along with representatives from UNECE, UNESCAP and UN-ORHLLS and international institutions, including the European Commission, OSCE, BSEC, ITF, IRU, and UIC met on 19 February 2008 to discuss the development of Euro-Asian Transport Links at the Palais des Nations, Geneva.

The meeting was organized at the close of a five year project (2002-2007) on Euro-Asian transport links, jointly elaborated by UNECE and UNESCAP together with designated national focal points from eighteen countries in the Euro-Asian region. Their efforts at encouraging development of Euro-Asian transport links paid off when decision makers confirmed their support for these projects and signed a Joint Statement on Future Development of Euro-Asian Transport Links. More...