The Technical Assistance to Connectivity in the Western Balkans (CONNECTA)
The Technical Assistance to Connectivity in the Western Balkans (CONNECTA) is an EU-funded technical assistance contract whose overall objective is to assist in the development and completion of the core transport and energy networks in the Western Balkans region and to support the Digital Agenda for the Western Balkans in line with the Western Balkans strategy COM(2018)65.
The CONNECTA facility contributes to the preparation of high priority transport, energy and digital connectivity infrastructure projects, ensuring their technical and economic viability, in order to bring them to maturity for investment co-financing and provides support for the preparation and implementation of short and medium-term regional connectivity reform measures (CRMs) in the Transport sector, such as road and rail maintenance schemes, rail reform, road safety and Intelligent Transportation Systems. In the context of lengthy project preparation processes, it contributes to a shorter and more flexible mobilisation of technical assistance by filling gaps in project preparation and/or accelerating project cycles for key transport, energy and digital projects.
This results in a more rapid completion of the project documentation, increasing the number of projects mature enough for investment co-financing. Thus, CONNECTA boosts the Connectivity Agenda and supports the development of transport, energy and digital interconnections within the Western Balkans and between this region and neighbouring EU Member States. It also supports the indicative extension of the Trans-European Transport network (TEN-T) core corridors to the Western Balkans and the alignment with the relevant EU policies of TEN-T standards.
CONNECTA can get involved in any project phase from for example feasibility studies and cost benefit analyses through designs, assistance in tendering and studies on e.g. maintenance of built infrastructure. It generally does not get involved in the supervision of works. Within its technical sectors of transport, energy and digital, it can work on all modes of transport and on several facets of energy. These are explained in more detail in Criteria for CONNECTA involvement in a project. The Terms of Reference for CONNECTA are also included in this website for more background.