On 24 February 2022, Gennady Bessonov, Secretary General of the CCTT made a statement at the 84th session of the UNECE Inland Transport Committee on the development of Euro-Asian transport links.

Noting the importance of the Euro-Asian transport links (EATL) project, he focused in his speech on general trends, problems and challenges in Trans-Eurasian transportation.

"The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly transformed the supply chain picture. With border crossing restrictions and companies leaving the market that could not resist the impact, the industry had to provide services that could quickly and reliably meet the needs of the economy and society. As we know, it was only possible to achieve this together, in close international cooperation.

Widespread distribution of new Euro-Asian container services allowed not only to keep transportation volumes, but also to increase them significantly. This growth is ensured not only by traditional market segments, but also by new areas, such as mail and e-commerce goods.

E-commerce is growing every year, and quarantine measures due to the COVID-19 pandemic have only accelerated this process. As customer demand changes, we are sure that cross-sectoral collaboration between transport, customs and postal authorities and companies will only increase," said the CCTT's Secretary General in his speech.

He stated that nowadays digital technologies have not only changed the sectoral business activities, but also the preferences and demands of the consumers: "If yesterday it was enough for the client to send and receive the cargo on time safely for the agreed payment, today both for the consumer and for the business as a whole, the requirements to track the cargo, to know about its condition, possible delays in shipment become more important. As well as how its safety requirements are met.  The client needs statistical information about the process of delivery, transportation, and handling to optimize his transportation and logistics processes.

In line with the increasing role of digital services, focused on the capabilities of operators and the needs of clients, he called for an active cooperation and collaboration in the implementation of digital technologies on the international transport corridors. An important role of the Economic Commission for Europe, its sister regional commissions and specialized organizations can be seen in the organization of an open and equitable international dialogue on digitalization in transport.

A positive trend is the shift from competition between different modes of transport to cooperation. "Multimodality ensures necessary flexibility in working with clients, acceleration of cargo movement, optimal use of the possibilities of infrastructure," - Gennady Bessonov drew attention of the participants of the Committee session.

He pointed out that the global trend of environmentally friendly transport systems, and the attention paid to the green technologies confirm the exceptional importance of the rail transport in ensuring international supply chains. Turnover between the countries of the European Union and the Asia-Pacific region is increasingly served by inland transport. "There is no contradiction in this with our partners, the maritime and aviation industries. Our common task is to actively research trends, challenges and needs, propose new solutions in the regulatory and technological areas, and share best practices," said Gennady Bessonov.

Summing up, he thanked the ITC UNECE and its working bodies for their activities on the development of Euro-Asian transport links, noting that the synergy between the UN regional commissions and other UN system organizations, gathering governments, sectoral governmental and non-governmental international organizations is seen as the key to success. The CCTT, whose members include government authorities, business and academia, is also ready to contribute to this work to the best of its abilities.