site.btaAnother Four Bulgarian Projects Approved under Connecting Europe Facility

The European Commission approved another four Bulgarian projects for funding under the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) 2021-2027, the Transport and Communications Ministry reported on Wednesday. The decision was made at a regular meeting of the CEF Committee in Brussels. The Bulgarian projects are worth EUR 169 million in total, of which EUR 143 million is to be provided from the CEF Cohesion Envelope.

One of the projects is the Bulgarian-Romanian undertaking FAST Danube 2. It will involve dredging and reinforcement activities in the part of the Danube River shared by the two countries, to ensure good shipping conditions 340 days of the year. It will considerably improve connectivity in the Danube Region and will facilitate the movement of goods and passengers through the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T). The project is worth EUR 112 million, of which EUR 95 million will come as EU support.

About EUR 27 million in EU funding is available for an initiative called "A safe and secure network of parking facilities for heavy-duty motor vehicles to achieve smart mobility in Bulgaria," conceived by Automotive Cluster Bulgaria. The project will set the beginning of a network of parking facilities in the country connected to an electronic booking system, which will allow businesses to better plan their trips and rests in Bulgaria. It will involve the building of four new parking areas with six parking facilities for heavy-duty trucks with a total of 426 slots. They will be situated in the regions of Sofia, Pernik and Pazardzhik. The network will be upgraded in stages. The project will start in September 2024 and will be completed by February 2027.

The other two projects are in the railway sector. EUR 12.4 million in EU funding has been allocated to the National Company Railway Infrastructure to upgrade the traction substations of Chervena Voda and Hitrino. The fourth project is for the development of the railway network of seaport terminals Burgas East 2 and Burgas West. Four kilometres of railway track will be constructed and a new railway yard will be built at the port. As the capacity of the railways in the Port of Burgas increases, the links between railway and maritime transport will improve significantly. The total price is EUR 10.7 million, and the beneficiary is BMF Port Burgas.