Serving people and far-off lands The decision of the European institutions in the late eighties to develop a transport axis between Barcelona and Kiev created the vocation of the Friuli region to play a key role as a trading hub, with the provincial capital becoming the crossroads of the maritime route to the Mediterranean. This idea gradually developed, and was eventually expressed formally at the Pan-European Transport Conference in 1995. In parts of the region hit by industrial decline in the ’eighties, the Structural Funds helped implement the development strategy aimed at improving the infrastructures and services needed for freight transit. At the port of Trieste, which has the largest covered area for transit freight in , the ERDF has funded work aimed at speeding up loading and unloading operations in the timber terminal. Some 14,700 m² of wharves have been brought into operation, improving freight moving time by 17%. The major efforts concerned Cervignano in the province of , which is the hub of intermodal services in Friuli. A new railway station for container transit has been equipped for quick and efficient loading and unloading from trains to road transport vehicles and vice versa. Opened in spring 1997, but not yet working to full capacity, it covers 1 million m² and is capable of shifting 1,000 tonnes of freight daily. It consists of covered warehouses, areas for the manoeuvring and parking of articulated lorries, a repair shop and offices for management and service staff.

A staff of economic promoters The ERDF has helped create a Technological Innovation Centre in Amaro, which is a mountain area in the province of Udine. The role of the Centre is to facilitate the transfer of new technology to young, innovative companies. It acts as a link between universities, research centres and companies applying the research findings to their production processes. These objectives are pursued in two ways: by providing accommodation at the Centre for small companies with strong potential for growth in high technology sectors, or by helping companies by means of a service and economic promotion centre, responding to their specific requirements. The Centre’s 7,000 square metres currently house about a dozen high-tech companies, operating in sectors such as industrial planning and automation, design and production of electronic and optic components, and production of innovative materials. The companies housed in the Centre have created about 100 jobs. Employees of the Service Centre also organise seminars, meetings and training courses for entrepreneurs. The staff also work externally, at seven branches located in mountain communities in the provinces of Udine and . Most companies using the Centre’s services are involved in the mechanical engineering, electronics, timber and construction sectors. In addition to information about funding facilities (the Centre has a databank on national and Community funding), companies are helped to acquire specific skills, for instance in quality certification.

FRIULI-VENEZIA GIULIA REGION Via S. Francesco, 37 34132 Trieste - Italia Tel: +39 040 637 872 Fax: +39 040 377 50 25 E-mail: [email protected]