POST EVENT PRESS RELEASE

CROSSCONNECT Project Kicks Off: Advancing Adriatic connectivity through sustainable multimodal solutions

The CROSSCONNECT project, led by Dubrovnik Airport as the Lead Partner, officially initiated with a successful kick-off meeting held on April 18, 2024, at the Hotel Kompas in Dubrovnik. This meeting brought together all project partners, facilitating insightful discussions and strategic planning for the forthcoming activities.

CROSSCONNECT, the "Cross-border Coordinated Sea-Land Approach Interconnecting Ports of the Adriatic Sea with Airports and Urban Areas," is financed by the Interreg Italy-Croatia Programme, specifically under Standard call, Specific objective 3.1. This objective focuses on developing and enhancing sustainable, climate-resilient, intelligent, and intermodal mobility, including improved access to TEN-T and cross-border mobility. With a total budget of 2,088,780.00 € (ERDF 1,671,024€ and co-financing 417,756.00 €), the project started on March 1, 2024, and will conclude on April 30, 2026.

Over the course of 26 months, the CROSSCONNECT partnership, comprised of 4 Italian and 4 Croatian partners from 4 different metropolitan areas (Venice, Pula, Dubrovnik, and Bari-Brindisi), will collaborate to achieve the project's objectives. The project partners include:

-    4 port authorities (North Adriatic Sea Port Authority - Ports of Venice and Chioggia, Southern Adriatic Sea Port Authority - Ports Of Bari, Brindisi, Manfredonia, Barletta, and Monopoli, Dubrovnik Port Authority, Pula Port Authority),
-    2 airports (Dubrovnik Airport, SAVE S.p.A),
-    2 urban public transports (Public Transport Company Brindisi S.p.A., Pula promet),
-    2 associated partners (Port of Rijeka and Port of Ancona).

The overarching objective of CROSSCONNECT is to develop a multi-modal coordinated sea-land approach based on sustainable and technologically advanced solutions. These solutions will interconnect Croatian and Italian ports with urban areas and airports, thereby improving passengers’ mobility. The project aims to capitalize on available solutions and know-how, capturing knowledge from previous experiences and applying it to interconnecting ports, airports, and urban areas in a comprehensive approach. This includes innovative ICT-based and sustainable solutions, addressing a crucial gap in strategic transport planning in the Adriatic region.

“Dubrovnik Airport is delighted to lead this extremely important project as it spearheads innovative and sustainable solutions in intermodal transportation, fostering collaboration among key stakeholders to enhance connectivity and mobility in the Adriatic region,” said Josip Paljetak, Project manager from Dubrovnik Airport.

The kick-off meeting concluded with enthusiasm as participants affirmed their commitment to driving progress and creating a more connected and environmentally friendly transportation network in the region.