Igor Trupac

Transport integration of Slovenia with the European Union

Today, the extended transport infrastructure along with the communications and information technologies are to a large extent the generator of integration processes all over Europe. Novelties in this area have brought about important changes in the production conditions, distribution and consumption, which exert influence on the changing of economic structure, including similar changes in social, cultural and political relations. In the future, the social and economic development of Slovenia will depend on proportionate development of regions and on the embodiment of Slovenia in a wider European space. The transport infrastructure of Slovenia, along with its transport system, should be integrated in the European transport system in such a way that the developmental interest of Slovenia is fully highlighted and included to an optimum extent in the course of Slovenias integration to the EU.

Development Possibilities of the Port of Koper

The extent to which Slovenia will exploit its good geographictransport position, whether it will be merely a transportcorridor or assume an additional quality (e.g. a distributioncentre or a logistic centre) will depend on a cluster of circumstances.The importance will also be laid on how Slovenia willpresent itself and what it will offer to Europe and the rest of theworld. One of its best assets is the Port of Koper (favourable position,good condition, capacities) in the frame of the whole logisticsystem.A larger volume of transport and consequently be/fer exploitationof the Port of Koper will in the future depend on increasedtransit. However, to acquire new cargo, the mere installationand modernisation of port infrastructure and rise in thequality of services may not be sufficient: it will also require goodconnections to the hinterland.