Multimodal Chains and Transport Interoperability between the Maghreb and Western European Countries: Some Empirical Evidences

The objective of this paper is the analysis of the multimodal transport chains between Maghreb and Western European Countries. The paper describes the main results of the Work Package 4 within the DESTIN (Defining and Evaluating a Strategic Transport Infrastructure Network in the Western Mediterranean), a research project under the INCO-MED of the Fifth Framework Programme. Under the methodological point of view, the paper presents an innovative approach as the analysis of the transport chains takes origin from the identification of the related supply chains. The paper is structured in four sections: the first one defines the key concepts (multimodality, intermodality and interoperability) for the empirical analysis; the second describes the methodology used for the analysis of a transport chains; the third presents the main results of the empirical analysis focusing on three transport chains. In the last section, some conclusion and policy recommendations are given in order to improve the level of interoperability within the region.