WESTERN BALKANS – The Transport Community’s 6th Social Forum will be held on 10 April 2025 in Tirana, Albania. This year’s edition will focus 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.
The Forum will highlight findings from the 2024 Study on Strengthening the Regulatory Framework for Passenger Rights in the Western Balkans, which identified key gaps in the transposition and enforcement of EU legislation. These include limited institutional capacity, low public awareness of rights, and fragmented implementation across transport modes. The study offers concrete recommendations such as the establishment or strengthening of National Enforcement Bodies (NEBs), ensuring accessibility for persons with reduced mobility, and harmonising procedures across all modes of transport. The Forum will serve as a platform to discuss these findings and initiate coordinated steps toward implementation.
The Forum will have two plenary sessions, the first on the above-mentioned Study on Strengthening the Regulatory Framework for Passenger Rights in the Western Balkans, followed by discussion with EU and regional stakeholders, and the second 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.
