On 19 June 2026, European Commissioner for Transport Apostolos Tzitzikostas called for accelerated investment in transport infrastructure in the Western Balkans, Ukraine, and Moldova, urging stakeholders to move from discussion to implementation. Speaking at the Transport Investment Summit in Thessaloniki, he stressed that the time has come to fulfil the promise made in 2003 when EU leaders affirmed the Western Balkans' European future.
Tzitzikostas highlighted the revised TEN-T Regulation as a key framework, with ambitious milestones for connectivity, and noted that the EU's Growth Plan is already providing unprecedented funding, though public money alone is insufficient. He emphasised the need for partnerships between governments, international financial institutions, and the private sector, as well as regional cooperation through the Transport Community. The Commissioner also called for sustainable, climate-resilient, and digitally enabled infrastructure, and urged transparent project pipelines to attract both EU and local companies.
The speech contained no new concrete proposals, numerical targets, or deadlines beyond existing TEN-T milestones, instead offering declarative support for existing frameworks and a call for action. The summit, hosted by the Greek Ministry of Infrastructure and Transportation, brought together policymakers, investors, and industry representatives to discuss building a modern, sustainable, and resilient transport network in the Black Sea–Aegean Sea corridor.