WESTERN BALKANS – On Thursday, 10 April 2025, the Permanent Secretariat of the Transport Community gathered Western Balkans’ authorities, representatives of civil society, and various social partners for its 6th Social Forum in Tirana.
This year’s edition focused on Strengthening Passenger Rights, a cross-cutting priority across all modes of transport and a cornerstone of fair, inclusive, and accessible mobility. Passenger rights, based on non-discrimination, timely and accurate information, and immediate assistance, are essential to building public trust in transport systems and advancing EU integration.
Opening the Social Forum, Mr Matej Zakonjšek, Director of the Permanent Secretariat of the Transport Community, said that infrastructure plays a crucial role in transport but for infrastructure to function properly it needs a system embodied in passenger rights, based on the principles of non-discrimination and accessibility.
“To support this system, we have conducted a study on passenger rights in the Western Balkans which showed us that more work is ahead of us. We need to align the standards of the region with those of the EU by transposing relevant legislation, work on enforcement of the legislation through making the enforcement bodies function, and make both passengers and operators informed on their rights and responsibilities,” he pointed out.
Throught two plenary sessions, the forum focused on the Study on Strengthening the Regulatory Framework for Passenger Rights in the Western Balkans, followed by discussion with EU and regional stakeholders. The second plenary session served as a workshop on the Next-Generation Action Plan for the Implementation of the EU Acquis in the area of Social Issues and Passenger Rights, aimed at shaping concrete measures to advance passenger protections across the region.
Since its launch in 2020, the Forum has served as a regional platform for dialogue between transport and social stakeholders from the EU and the Western Balkans.
