Asia-Europe Transport Development Forum

MINISTRY OF TRANSPORT AND COMMUNICATIONS OF THE REPUBLIC OF LITHUANIA	MARE FORUM

WHAT CAN POLICY-MAKERS AND BUSINESS DO
TO FACILITATE TRADE AND TRANSPORT
BETWEEN ASIA AND EUROPE?

The Forum is organized in parallel with the
1st ASEM Transport Ministers' Meeting

Vilnius, 19 October 2009
Crowne Plaza Hotel

Asia-Europe Transport - the way forward

Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) is the main multilateral channel for communication and dialogue between Asia and Europe. The 45 ASEM partners represent half of the world's GDP, almost 60 per cent of the world's population and 60 per cent of global trade. ASEM Transport Ministers will meet for the first time in October 2009 in Vilnius, Lithuania, to discuss how they can facilitate transport between Asia and Europe.

Asia-Europe Transport Development Forum (TDF) will take place on 19 October 2009 in Vilnius, in parallel with the first ASEM Transport Ministerial Meeting. It will offer a unique opportunity for the transport business community to address major challenges facing European and Asian countries in terms of transport connections along the world's most important trade routes, logistics business, and sustainable transport development.

Objectives
The main aim of the Forum is to provide a business-driven approach towards the development of transportation between Europe and Asia. The underlying assumption is that the current downturn in the global economy has serious implications for the transport and logistics sectors. The main task for the Forum is to identify new challenges for Euro-Asian transport and logistics business, provide suggestions for improvement of its competitiveness and highlight the role of the transport sector in stimulating the global economy.

Themes
The Forum will start with the investigation of trends in global economy and transport and logistics businesses, drawing further on specific issues relevant to the transport and logistics businesses between Asia and Europe.

In particular, special attention will be paid to identification of infrastructure needs between Europe and Asia and pooling of investments for its development, exploring the potential of public-private partnerships (PPP). The inland and maritime transport alternatives will also be discussed, investigating the possibilities for the development of competitive Euro-Asian multimodal logistics chains.

Outcomes
Expected output of the TDF is to provide the 1st Meeting of ASEM Ministers of Transport with specific recommendations from transport businesses. The conclusions of the TDF will be delivered to the Ministers on the second day of the Ministerial Meeting.

Speakers
Speakers and participants are invited from high-ranking officials of major Europe-Asia transport business enterprises, representatives of international financial institutions, regional and international organizations and academic society.

The Forum is open to all who are interested in facilitation of trade between Asia and Europe. Everyone will have the opportunity to speak, meet key influence formers, and take part in the debates. What goods will we move in the future? Who will finance the infrastructure? Who will build and operate it? What capabilities do we need to develop?

Above all, what should politicians be doing to facilitate transport?

Many of those key questions will be addressed on October 19 in Vilnius, the European Capital of Culture 2009. The day will run in true Mare Forum fashion, with short, punchy papers and sharp, focussed debates.

Be there, meet key people, hear key plans and air problems. It will be serious, it will be interesting, and it will be important to your business.

We look forward to welcoming you in Vilnius,