Europe and Central Asia - Towards Safer Roads in the Eastern Partnership Region

The Eastern partnership (EaP) was launched in May 2009 by the European Union to enhance the cooperation with six countries of Eastern Europe and Southern Caucasus: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine. The EaP transport panel was established on 23 September 2011. Transport connectivity is built on linkages to provide economic growth and job opportunities, greater access to basic services and markets, enhanced resilience, and reduced vulnerability to shocks and to climate change-induced events. To achieve the objectives of the EaP transport panel, the World Bank (WB) entered in a trust fund agreement with the European Commission to provide technical assistance. To support reduction of traffic related fatalities and injuries in the EaP region, road safety has been prioritized as one of the key areas for WB support. The objective of the working groups on road safety is to expand the discussion on safety beyond purely physical improvements on roads and to address issues such as institutional arrangements, enforcement, education, and emergency response. The working groups are to use benchmarking of performance between countries and linking specific activities to the achievement of results.