Boosting regional economic development in the Balkans with the “Giro di Ciro” Greenway
“The “Giro di Ciro” was a transnational greenway project in the Western Balkans, commissioned by the World Bank to support governments in the region, with a specific focus on Bosnia and Herzegovina, in moving the project from concept towards implementation. It aimed to convert the historic Belgrade-to-Adriatic narrow-gauge railway, developed between the 1800s and 1900s, into a pedestrian and cycling greenway of more than 800 km across Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and Montenegro.
The assignment focused on the Bosnian section and included the following activities:
• Defining a shared transnational vision and narrative for the Giro di Ciro corridor, supported by a cost-benefit analysis and an assessment of its tourism and economic potential, later translated into a promotional brochure and communication materials;
• Proposing a National Greenway Framework for the development, governance and management of a greenway network in Bosnia and Herzegovina, including the Giro di Ciro, discussed with key national institutions;
• Preparing a Preliminary Study for a priority 150 km section in Bosnia and Herzegovina, based on an assessment of the former railway corridor and its territorial context;
• Engaging institutional and local stakeholders and disseminating project results, including the organisation of a final high-level conference in Sarajevo.
During the Sarajevo Cycling Forum, organised by TRT on 3 June as the final project event and hosted by UNESCO at the United Nations venue in Sarajevo, the Giro di Ciro route was approved for integration into the TEN-T EuroVelo network promoted by ECF as EuroVelo 21. This recognition confirmed the international relevance of the corridor and provided a basis for the future development.
Through this work, TRT strengthened its expertise in transnational greenway planning, cycle tourism, stakeholder coordination and the reuse of disused railway corridors as active mobility infrastructure, developing approaches applicable to similar future projects.
