Financing in CEEC’s 10-11 September 2007 Vienna, Austria

Vernier Geneva, Switzerland – The International Road Federation is planning a follow-up conference to the successful event “Pioneering PPPs and Electronic Tolling Slovakia & CEE” organised in 2005 in Bratislava, Slovakia.

Central and Easter European countries face massive expenditures to develop and update road infrastructure. As the national budgets are stretched, policy makers may count on the EU funds. The start of the new EU co-financing framework (2007 – 2013) suggests the need to discuss the broad range of public and private finance options.

The conference will address the following key issues:

• Road transport demand and traffic development in CEECs as a key driver;
• Existing public, domestic funding sources and strategies to increase them;
• Direct user charges (tolling) and PPP type approaches for additional funds;
• New EU co-financing framework (2007-2013): purely public projects and “Hybrid PPPs”;
• Building administrative capacity of governments to manage public and private road development projects.

This event will bring together CEEC governments and regulators and providers / practitioners from the private sector: i.e. contractors, project developers, toll road concessionaires, private investors, toll system providers, consultants… Experts from European Union agencies, International Organisations and International Financial Institutions (EIB, EBRD, World Bank) will be involved providing the international framework put in place in the region.

The International Road Federation brings together over 400 members active in the road infrastructure from both the public and private sector in over 87 countries. We firmly believe that efficient, well-maintained road networks contribute significantly, not only to economic growth and prosperity,
but also to social development. IRF engages in road safety and ecologically friendly and
economically viable infrastructure.