Transports and Logistics in the Western Mediterranean
19 October 2023 | Conference | English | Confitarma headquarters, Palazzo Colonna, Roma
The COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine, by leading to the disruptions of global value chains (GVCs) and the global energy market, have resulted in rising inflation, putting European economies under strain.
In this context, the internationalization of the economy appears to be a key factor in tackling the economic crisis that is hovering around the world and in preventing its devastating social consequences. Internationalization, in order to be realistic, must be based on two main components: the companies, which must see it as a crucial choice if they want to preserve their competitiveness and grow, and the infrastructures and connections, especially related to transport and logistics, that can make it feasible.
Transport and logistics, in addition to being a strategic sector for the economy, are a fundamental driving force for cooperation, socio-economic development and regional integration in the western Mediterranean. In a context where the regionalization of value chains is seen as a way to boost the economic development, reduce carbon footprint, and tackle unemployment in the Mediterranean, investments in transport and logistics acquire a special relevance. In addition, this sector which, due to the digital revolution, continuous technological innovations and an increasingly efficient intermodal system, has to play a decisive role in the reduction of polluting emissions and energy consumption. These are to be decisively contributions for the achievement of the Green Deal.
The coexistence between infrastructural development and environmental sustainability is an unavoidable goal of each country. In this framework, regions play a key role as institutional entities. Regional authorities are drivers of economic development and reinforce the attractivity of their territories with policies aiming at anchoring them into the global economy. Being the ones closest to businesses and citizens, they are able to know better the strengths and the weaknesses to promote development with suited policies to their own territories, including promoting the development of transport and logistics infrastructures.
An in-depth analysis and discussion are, therefore, extremely useful to identify the current perspectives, the main opportunities and the critical issues of the sector. Thereby, the Delegation of the Government of Catalonia in Italy, the European Institute of the Mediterranean (IEMed), the Centre for Transportation Studies for the Western Mediterranean (CETMO) and the Institute for Political, Social and Economic Studies – EURISPES have decided to organise a seminar in Rome to analyse and debate the policies to develop the transport and logistics for the benefit of the Western Mediterranean.
Co-organised by
