On 30 April 2024, the Technical Secretariat of the Eastern Partnership Road Safety Observatory organised its first working meeting in Tbilisi.

The meeting was held in the framework of a wider Regional Road Safety Summit organised by EASST with support from the FIA Foundation. It included an introduction to the planned work of the EaP RSO and discussions around the needs and priorities of national stakeholders. It also offered participants an overview on the importance of good road safety data and an overview of EU CARE and CADaS data.

The meeting brought together key representatives from participating EaP RSO countries, including Country Consultants from all five countries and ministerial representatives from Armenia, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine, along with representatives from the World Health Organization (WHO), European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), FIA Foundation, and National Technical University of Athens (NTUA).

The meeting opened with introductory remarks from Aleksandra Suladze, Deputy Head of Transport and Logistics Development Policy Department of the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia, emphasising the country's commitment to road safety and the Ministry’s delight that Georgia has been selected to host the Technical Secretariat of the Observatory.

The Technical Secretariat, jointly led by the ISET Policy Institute and EASST, then provided an overview of the EaP RSO's key objectives, core activities, and opportunities for collaboration with partner countries. Key insights from the discussions underscored the necessity of tailored approaches to address the specific requirements and priorities of individual countries.

Country stakeholders came away feeling excited and energised about the work of the Observatory and its potential to deliver meaningful change. The Technical Secretariat will move forward with individual country meetings with key stakeholders to discuss training and capacity-building needs. This understanding will form the foundation for joint capacity-building and targeted training planned under the EaP RSO project.