The “Via Carpatia” International Conference
Bihor County Council together with ADD Bihor and the Bihor County Prefecture have hosted an international conference themed around the road infrastructure development of the trans-European “Via Carpatia” route on the 23rd of March 2018, with the purpose of committing to a collaboration framework that will support the measures necessary to implement this project as well as securing professional and representative assistance in sustaining and implementing a road transport corridor of strategic importance.
On this occasion, a collaboration protocol was signed between 4 counties in western Romania (Satu Mare, Bihor, Arad and Timis) in order to sustain the implementation of this project within the country. Via Carpatia is a road path which will link the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea, beginning in Lithuania within the city of Kaunas and continuing through Poland, Slovakia and Hungary.
Within Romania, the path will be organized in two directions, one towards the port of Constanta on the route: Oradea – Arad – Timisoara – Lugoj – Deva – Sibiu – Pitesti – Bucuresti – Constanta and one towards the frontier that Romania shares with Bulgaria, linking up with the future Calafat – Vidin bridge on the route: Oradea – Arad – Timisoara – Lugoj – Drobeta Turnu Severin – Vinju Mare – Calafat.
Out of the people in attendance at the conference we can mention the Prefect of Bihor County Mr. Ioan Mihaiu, the three chiefs of the county, Mr. Pasztor Sandor, Mr. Ioan Mang and Mr. Traian Bodea as well as the county manager Mr. Szabo Jozsef, European Parliament member Mr. Emilian Pavel, directors of the Agency for Durable Development Mr. Andrei Caciora and Mr. Vitalyos Barna as well as other representatives of important institutions within the county. Also present were the leaders of the Satu Mare, Timis and Arad county councils, listed as Pataki Csaba, Dobra Calin and Bilcea Sergiu, together with the Prefects Filip Darius and Andreas Eva Georgeta of Satu Mare and Timis counties and Sub-Prefect Damian Vasilica of Arad County. Among foreign guests we can mention, among others, Toth Andor from the Ministry for Development in Hungary, Piotr Miaso from the Podkarpatckie Region Road Administration in Poland, Barbara Kovacova from EGTC Via Carpatia in Kosice, Mateusz Gniazdowski from the Centre for Eastern Studies in Poland and Dubniczky Kitti from the CESCI Institute in Budapest.