Bulgarian Ports
Infrastructure Company

The Bulgarian Ports Infrastructure Company (BPI Co.) will host two prestigious forums related to the future of inland waterway transport in Europe, which will be held on October 22 and 23, 2024, in Sofia. The third meeting of the Steering Committee of the River Information Services Corridor Management Execution 2 (COMEX2) project and the seventh meeting of the Managing Board of EuRIS will bring together twenty partners from thirteen European countries to discuss the progress and future of river information services in Europe.

The COMEX2 project, co-financed by the Connecting Europe Facility and a successor to the successfully completed RIS COMEX (2016-2022), aims at establishing a unified and efficient infrastructure for river information services across Europe. Its implementation will play a significant role in improving the efficiency, sustainability, and safety of inland waterway transport, while contributing to reducing the environmental footprint of the transport sector.

During the upcoming meetings, strategic and operational issues related to the future development of the Electronic Portal for River Information Services EuRIS and the Central and Eastern European Electronic Reporting System for Rivers CEERIS, as well as their maintenance integration and management, will be addressed. These systems play a vital role in ensuring the safety and efficiency of inland waterway transport in Europe, making their enhancement, the addition of new functionalities for better integration of data and services, and the expansion of their geographical coverage crucial. The presence of leading experts and industry leaders from various nations emphasizes the importance of collaboration in achieving more sustainable and innovative solutions. As the host of these expert meetings, Bulgaria plays a central role in the development of the European inland waterway transport network and is asserting its position as a strategic partner for the sustainable development of the sector.