Intermodal transport is freight transport combining at least two consecutive forms of transport, with most freight being transported by rail, inland waterway or by ocean ship and road transport being reduced to the minimum.
Participants in the conference said that Croatia should prepare to connect to the trans-European transport network as soon as possible and make its ports a gateway to Europe. The conference will also discuss ways to improve the existing links between the Danube river and the Adriatic Sea, which are seen as insufficient.
The state secretary for maritime affairs, Branko Bacic, told reporters that Croatia was working intensively to upgrade its shipping industry, ports and freight transport on inland waterways.
Over the last five years port transport in Croatia has increased by 100 percent, Bacic said, adding that the country had built 331 kilometres of new roads.
In the next four years some 100 million euros will be invested in river ports in Sisak, Slavonski Brod, Karlovac and Osijek, Bacic said.
The Ministry of Transport, Tourism and Development will support the EU's policy of promoting cheaper forms of transport, Bacic said.
State secretary for transport Drazen Breglec said Croatia would now focus on the development of river, sea and railway infrastructure, for which it expected support from EU funds.
The conference was organised by the Intermodal Promotion Centre from Zagreb, the European Intermodal Association and the Croatian-Austrian Chamber of the Economy from Graz.