The Adriatic region is gaining strategic importance as a transport and energy corridor connecting the Mediterranean with Central and Eastern Europe, with the Port of Koper playing a key role in strengthening regional connectivity and supply chain resilience.
The growing importance of the region was highlighted at the Bled Strategic Forum during a panel discussion titled “The Adriatic Advantage: Infrastructure and Power in a Fragmented Europe,” which examined the potential of transport and energy infrastructure amid changing geopolitical conditions and disruptions to global supply chains.
Slovenia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Infrastructure and Energy, Jernej Vrtovec, underscored the importance of the Port of Koper not only to Slovenia but also to several countries across its hinterland. He highlighted the need for closer cooperation among North Adriatic ports, improved regional connectivity and sustained investment in port and railway infrastructure. He particularly pointed to the second track of the Divača–Koper railway line as a significant infrastructure development.
Nevenka Kržan, President of the Management Board of the Port of Koper, highlighted the growth potential of North Adriatic ports and their extensive transport connections to European markets. She noted that the ports have considerable scope to expand their combined throughput, while reliability of supply and the diversification of transport routes are becoming increasingly important amid global logistics disruptions.
Kržan stressed that the Adriatic should not be viewed as an alternative to or competitor of Northern European ports, emphasising that Europe needs both to maintain an efficient and resilient transport network. The expansion of North Adriatic ports could provide additional capacity, shorten transport routes to key markets in Central and Eastern Europe, and reduce dependence on individual ports and transport corridors.
The region’s competitive advantage lies in its strategic geographical location, established shipping connections, improving railway infrastructure, strong hinterland links and ability to respond to changing market conditions. Closer cooperation among North Adriatic ports, including through the North Adriatic Ports Association (NAPA), could further strengthen their role in European trade and logistics.
The panel also featured George Hajipavli of St Antony’s College, University of Oxford; Maurizio Maresca, Professor of International Law at the University of Udine; Francesco Maria Talò, Special Envoy for the IMEC Economic Corridor at Italy’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation; and Romana Vlahutin, Special Envoy for Strategic Connectivity and Croatia’s national coordinator for the Three Seas Initiative. The discussion was moderated by Valbona Zeneli, Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council and a member of the Europe’s Futures Fellow initiative.
The discussions highlighted the growing importance of the North Adriatic as an additional strategic gateway for European trade, offering greater transport flexibility, enhanced connectivity and improved resilience against geopolitical and logistical disruptions.