Federico Francisco
Ministry of Infrastructure and Housing, Portugal
The COVID-19 pandemic, the lockdowns and the need for social distancing had a devastating impact on all collective transport systems. In a matter of days, streets became empty, while buses and trains became emptier, but not completely empty.
Salvatore D’Alfonso
Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane
The Mediterranean is today considered the iconic place of sustainable mobility in the region, where concrete transport and logistics projects are developed with the aim of connecting Trans-Mediterranean and Trans-European Transport Networks.
Patrick Malléjacq and José Manuel Blanco
PIARC, World Road Association
The COVID-19 pandemic is a global health and societal emergency that required immediate and effective action in multiple dimensions. In this context, road transport, which is an essential service critical to maintaining the movement of key workers, goods, supplies and services, has to remain operational.
Marc Guigon
UIC, International Union of Railways
In February 2020, UIC set up a task force to work with its members, experts and global rail transport associations with a view to sharing and providing information on the crisis caused by the coronavirus (Covid-19) and its consequences for the rail transport sector.
Jens Hügel
IRU, International Road Transport Union
Commercial road transport operators have maintained services where possible, despite an often higher cost base due to transport, routing and delivery restrictions. Many road transport businesses have managed to survive up to now, but anecdotal evidence from IRU members and research from our market intelligence team indicates that they will not survive much longer without financial assistance.
Infrastructure Directorate
AMU, Arab Maghreb Union
The Maghreb countries reacted quickly to their first Covid-19 cases. The measures taken have helped limit the impact of the disease and the AMU countries are now dealing with the economic and social consequences of this health crisis.
Andreu Ulied
MCRIT Multicriteria
We know that in the new digital world our experience of distance and time changes radically. Our beliefs, which have existed for centuries, are resistant to change: but we need new concepts to better understand the new reality and support our decisions. A strong need arises for a paradigm shift on transport planning and management, just because of emerging new technologies and life styles and values of new generations.
Pere Calvet
UITP, International Association of Public Transport
The crisis generated by Covid-19 had a major impact on public transport systems across Mediterranean countries. Public and private sector stakeholders adopted all necessary measures to guarantee service continuity, ensuring the mobility of essential front-line workers. Existing services kept running or new ones put in place sto encure an adequate mobility alternative.
Ali Tounsi
ACI Africa, Airports Council International Africa
The air travel industry is facing one of the most challenging times of its existence. In addition to the catastrophic financial consequences of the COVID-19 on the industry, the confidence enjoyed by travellers before the crisis has eroded substantially since airports and airlines have been regarded as one of the vectors of transmission of the virus across borders.
Malta Maritime Forum
The problems created by the Covid pandemic to the carriage and distribution of goods caught everyone including the major container carriers unaware and necessitated the introduction of short term measures in order to safeguard both the coherence of the logistical cycle and the financial sustainability of the carriers.