What is CETMO?

The Centre for Transportation Studies for the Western Mediterranean (CETMO) is an organization that promotes cooperation in transport in the Western Mediterranean, i.e. the countries in Southern Europe (France, Italy, Malta, Portugal and Spain) and the Maghreb (Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco and Tunisia).

CETMO is the Technical Secretariat of the Group of Transport Ministries of the Western Mediterranean, also known as the GTMO 5+5. With CETMO’s coordination, this informal structure guarantees the collaboration of national coordinators representing the ministries of transport in all ten countries in the region. These national coordinators are responsible for establishing the cooperation programme and getting national transport institutions and bodies involved in the studies and initiatives promoted.

CETMO was created in 1985 by decision of the countries of the region, at the initiative of the Spanish Government and in response to the recommendations of the Conference of Transport Ministers of the Mediterranean countries, which took place in Thessaloniki (Greece) with the sponsorship of the United Nations. The Spanish Ministry of Transport and the Government of Catalonia agreed on the creation of a base administrative office for CETMO.

In 1988, the main organizations and professional associations representing Spanish transport joined forces with public administrations to support and promote the activities of CETMO in its role as the basic organization for cooperation in transport in the Mediterranean by providing it with its own legal personality through a private non-profit foundation at national level. In 1988, CETMO was also recognized as a centre linked to the United Nations (UNECE).