More than 1500 tunnellers from 71 countries gathered in Dubrovnik, Croatia from May 22 to 28, 2015. The occasion was the 41st Annual Meeting of the ITA – the International Tunnelling and Underground Space Association – in conjunction with the 2015 World Tunnel Congress.

Tunnelling in South-East Europe has a long tradition coming from mining but during the last century the range of mining has decreased seriously. Underground works have been performed in last few decades as tunnelling works on transport infrastructure lines and hydro projects mostly. At the same time most of South-East Europe did not develop the use of underground space in urban areas: there is no subway or underground road or pedestrian systems in cities of Balkan Peninsula. This is one speciality that at the same time opens opportunities for future investors, clients and contractors.

However, developing one underground project is not an easy task: it needs preparation, interest, technical solutions, management, construction companies but above all it needs knowledge. Knowledge about planning, design, construction, supervision, equipment, financing and maintenance of underground structures.

This congress is one important step and future milestone in providing missing knowledge about the use of underground space to countries of South-East Europe but as well to all other interested parties or regions where such development is missing as well.

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