Bulgaria and Serbia with a Project to Open a New “Kalotina–Gradina 2” Border Crossing

The Council of Ministers on January 28 approved a draft agreement between the governments of Bulgaria and Serbia for the opening of a new joint border checkpoint, Kalotina 2 (Republic of Bulgaria) – Gradina 2 (Republic of Serbia), which will serve as a basis for launching negotiations.

At its regular meeting on 13 November 2025, the Interministerial Council on Border Control adopted a decision to build a new joint border crossing point on the Bulgarian-Serbian border. The facility is to be located on Bulgarian territory, close to the existing Kalotina checkpoint. It will be designated for the passage of people and passenger cars, operate on a seasonal basis and have fixed working hours.

A preliminary consultation has already been held with the European Commission, which issued a positive opinion on the project.

Under the draft agreement, the two sides will, within a timeframe to be agreed by their competent authorities, build and open a new joint border checkpoint in the area of the village of Kalotina, in the municipality of Dragoman, on Bulgarian territory. Each party will construct the necessary infrastructure on its own territory to ensure the functioning of the new road crossing.

The agreement also provides for the establishment of a Joint Expert Commission. It will define the main technical parameters of the road connections, the location of the routes and their intersections with the border, the exact site and technical specifications of the new checkpoint, its operating regime and infrastructure, the types of goods and passengers to be handled, as well as the legal and practical issues related to its construction. The commission will operate and take decisions in line with the instructions of the two governments.

At the same government meeting, an agreement with Turkey was also approved, aimed at resolving issues related to border crossings between the two countries and opening a new border checkpoint, “Kapitan Andreevo–Kapıkule–North”.

The agreement provides that, within a timeframe to be additionally agreed between their competent authorities, the contracting parties will build and open a new joint border checkpoint, to be located in the area of the village of Kapitan Andreevo, Svilengrad municipality, on the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria, and the village of Kapıkule, Edirne province, on the territory of the Republic of Turkey, to the north of the existing border crossing.

The draft agreement also envisages the establishment of a Joint Expert Commission. It will define the main technical characteristics of the road connections, the location of the routes and their points of intersection with the border, the type of adjacent checkpoints in terms of traffic, operating hours and number of lanes, the site of the new joint border checkpoint and its technical parameters, its operating regime and infrastructure, the types of cargo and passengers to be handled, as well as the legal and practical issues related to the construction of the new crossing.

In addition, the commission will address all matters of common interest related to the implementation of the agreement for all border crossings between Bulgaria and Turkey.