The Future of Corridor VIII: Bulgaria and European Commission Called for Accelerated Construction of the Transport Link

Construction of Corridor VIII must be accelerated – this was the call from Bulgaria and the European Commission at a major international conference in Sofia. The most challenging section remains the railway link between Bulgaria and North Macedonia and the construction of the cross-border tunnel. The next ministerial meeting on Corridor VIII will be held in Skopje.

From the Adriatic to the Black Sea, Corridor VIII is intended to provide a direct transport link through Albania, North Macedonia and Bulgaria.

Today in Sofia, the three countries discussed how the project can move from political commitments to the actual construction of the infrastructure.

Velislava Petrova, Minister of Foreign Affairs: “For now, we are talking about a period of the next five to six years and all the stages needed to complete this. We heard from Commissioner Kos that the expectation is for this to happen more quickly, so Minister Peev also stressed the urgency, and on our part there is a full commitment to work within the shortest possible timeframe.”

There is already a concrete plan between Sofia and Skopje for the project, while the individual projects are progressing at an accelerated pace.

Georgi Peev, Minister of Transport and Communications: “The deadlines are set in the next framework, which runs until 2034. The most difficult part is the joint tunnel facility between Bulgaria and Macedonia. Bulgaria will be the lead country there and will commission the procedures.”

The European Commission is already linking the project to specific funding. Brussels is calling for the construction of the links to be accelerated.

Marta Kos, EU Commissioner for Enlargement: “And that is precisely the purpose of Corridor VIII – to connect the Adriatic Sea with the Black Sea and bring benefits to people in Bulgaria, North Macedonia, Albania and beyond. That is why the European Union is supporting Corridor VIII in North Macedonia and Albania with €319 million, and we are already building the connections of the future Union today.”

For the European Commission, the new infrastructure should have an impact not only on transport but also on economic links and the resilience of transport routes.

Marta Kos, EU Commissioner for Enlargement: “Corridor VIII will serve the economies and communities on both sides of the borders. It will form part of a wider network of transport links from the centre of Europe to the heart of Asia. This will create more opportunities for European businesses in a world where many trade routes have been disrupted.”

North Macedonia, for its part, is committing to its share of the project. The next ministerial meeting will be held in Skopje, where work on the specific stages and their implementation is expected to continue.

Timcho Mutsunski, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of North Macedonia: “Its success requires commitment from everyone. Every part of the corridor is important and every partner must fulfil its part. A strategic corridor can only be as strong as the commitment to completing it from one end to the other.”

Next year, Sofia and the European Commission will also host a summit on European connectivity..