The extension of the corridor from Greece to Bulgaria will ease traffic to Romania. This was stated by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport and Communications Grozdan Karadzhov at a Bulgarian-Greek business forum held today in Sofia.
"We are working on a joint program for the development of the southern part of the European transport corridor Baltic Sea - Black Sea - Aegean Sea, from the core TEN-T network. The corridor is part of the strategic North-South direction, which provides a short and secure connection from Athens to Helsinki, starting from Greece and reaching Northern and Western Europe," said Deputy Prime Minister Karadzhov.
He emphasized that the opening of land borders has significantly accelerated the passage of trucks through border checkpoints and has led to a reduction in the time spent at the borders with Greece and Romania.
"With Romania, we are making joint efforts to improve transport connectivity by preparing the construction of a second combined bridge at Ruse-Giurgiu," added Minister Karadzhov. He also highlighted the development of Bulgarian seaports in Varna and Burgas, which are of strategic importance for freight traffic between Asia and Europe.
"Building and maintaining modern, high-quality, and sustainable transport infrastructure requires significant investments, which are often unaffordable for the national budgets of the countries in the region. In this context, securing support and adequate funding from the European Union within the next financial framework will be crucial," said the Deputy Prime Minister.
Before the opening of the forum, Grozdan Karadzhov met with the Minister of Development of Greece, Panagiotis Theodorikakos. The two discussed the implementation of strategic infrastructure projects between Bulgaria and Greece in the sectors of energy, transport, and digital connectivity. This will lead to attracting investments and strengthening the security not only of Bulgaria and Greece but also of the entire region.