site.btaBulgaria, Greece, Romania Discuss Memorandum on Regional Connectivity

A tripartite working meeting here on Thursday discussed a Memorandum of Understanding for the construction of the North-South transport corridor, which connects the Greek Eastern Mediterranean via Bulgaria and Romania to Northern Europe, the Bulgarian Finance Ministry said. 

Participating in the discussion on the Bulgarian side were Finance Minister Assen Vassilev, Transport Minister Georgi Gvozdeykov, Regional Development Minister Andrey Tsekov and Environment Minister Yulian Popov. The Greek side was represented by the Minister of Infrastructure and Transport Christos Staikouras and the Romanian side by the State Secretary of the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure Constantin Gabriel Bunduc and the Director of the Romanian Railway Company Radu Urziceanu. 

The aim of the Memorandum is to develop and strengthen the cooperation between Bulgaria, Greece and Romania and to outline the necessary legal and financial framework for the preparation and construction of the infrastructure project. The document will identify the main principles of the trilateral cooperation. 

The Memorandum is being prepared in implementation of a joint declaration signed between the heads of government of the three countries in October 2023 in Euxinograd. It has a key role in building a sustainable trans-European infrastructure and strengthening regional connectivity in South-East Europe. The document addresses the need to connect the Baltic, Black and Mediterranean Seas to boost European competitiveness and economic growth. Following its signature, a contract will be drawn up to set out the specific commitments of the parties to implement the regional connectivity projects.

At the meeting in Euxinograd, the prime ministers of the three countries, Nikolay Denkov, Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Marcel Ciolacu, agreed to work together to strengthen regional connectivity in all its forms, while continuing to develop their cooperation to ensure the security of South-Eastern Europe. Among the topics discussed were the development of transport, energy and digital connectivity between the countries.