By mid-September is the deadline to apply for funding for feasibility studies for the construction of a second bridge between Bulgaria and Romania at Ruse—Giurgiu. This became clear at a meeting in Ruse of the Deputy Minister of Transport and Communications Anna Natova with her counterpart from the Romanian Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure Bogdan Mindrescu, which was also attended by representatives of the European Commission, the Danube Commission, and the management of the Executive agency for exploration and maintenance of the Danube river and the Romanian River Authority AFDJ.
By the end of 2023, the tender for engineering measures on the Danube, part of the Fast Danube project, should be launched. Work is underway to set up a European Territorial Cooperation Group to coordinate the implementation of the engineering measures under Fast Danube 2.
During the meeting the issue of the launch of the ferry link between Ruse and Giurgiu was discussed, which will facilitate the passage of trucks between the two cities. Deputy Minister Natova insisted that the Romanian side indicate a specific date when the Giurgiu border checkpoint will be opened in order to overcome the only obstacle to the functioning of the Ro-Ro line. They, in turn, committed to inform the Bulgarian authorities on this issue next week.
