In May of this year, IFC/Worldbank invited PDI/Mr Seitz to present PDI´s viewpoints on administrative barriers for Danube transport as an input to its major project initiative on trade facilitation on the Western Balkans. This project is a 2.5 year, 2 million USD exercise co-funded by the European Commission and by client government contributions. The project addresses regulatory and administrative bottlenecks to cross-border trade which is a pre-condition for improving the current border-crossing situation on the Danube.

Following the first exchange of information, Mr Seitz was invited to participate a working meeting of the project on 27 September in Belgrade. He elaborated the existing problems for waterway transport in the Danube region and in particular with regard to the border crossing procedures for transport with and through Serbia. Representatives from Serbian authorities expressed their willingness to improve the current situation. Concrete improvements should be executed in the framework of an IFC facilitated implementation project. This project is currently in its design phase. PDI and IFC agreed to continue the exchange of information with regard to this forthcoming project.