Short Sea Shipping

TRACECA is an ambitious interstate programme aimed at supporting the political and economic development in Black Sea Region, Caucasus and Central Asia by means of improvement of the international transport. The programme objectives were formulated in 1993 at the Conference in Brussels ( Brussels Declaration, 1993 ) by the European Commission and the Governments of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan to support their integration into the international economy by improving and enhancing trade and transport.
In the period from 1996 to 1998 Ukraine and Moldova also joined this programme. In 2000 Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey officially applied to the European Commission with a request to join TRACECA programme. Now these countries are also members of TRACECA Programme.
Today the TRACECA programme encompasses thirteen countries: five countries in Europe, three Caucasian states and five countries in Central Asia, each has a unique history, culture, language, political and economic system. The programme in itself is being advanced as a self sustainable tool in trade facilitation and the integration of the economies of the TRACECA member states into the world markets supported by TRACECA organisational development and its further institutionalisation .
Objectives of the TRACECA programme

stimulating co-operation among the participating states in all matters related to the development and improvement of trade in the region;
promoting optimal integration of the international transport corridor Europe-Caucasus-Asia "TRACECA" into Trans-European Networks (TENs);
identifying problems and deficiencies in the region’s trade and transport systems;
promoting TRACECA projects as a means to attract funding from IFIs, development partners and private investors.
defining, in terms of contents and timing, a Technical Assistance Programme to be financed by the European Commission (EU).

The EU is willing to further support projects along the TRACECA corridor and EU priorities are currently defined in the council regulation no. 99/2000 concerning the provision of assistance to the partner states in Eastern Europe and Central Asia and consecutive multi-year strategy papers and indicative programmes and annual Tacis TRACECA action programmes (AP).
However, there will be no further Tacis TRACECA Action Programme beyond 2006 due to the fundamental changes in the framework of EU-funding. The EC have determined a framework for a new and simplified political and administrative structure to deliver EC assistance and cooperation programmes. In place of the existing range of geographical and thematic instruments, six instruments are proposed three of which are designed to implement particular policies, and three to provide the necessary response to particular needs. . Only four of these six instruments are new, two already exist and do not need further modification. Thus, four new legal instruments will put the new framework and structure into effect.
These new instruments are:

The new EU instruments relevant to TRACECA are European Neighbourhood and Partnership (ENPI) and Development Cooperation and Economic Cooperation Instrument (DCECI). The PS IGC TRACECA will be also in future a reliable Partner of the EU.