site.btaEU Ambassador to North Macedonia: EU Supports Construction of Both Railway Corridors 8 and 10

Ambassador of the European Union to the Republic of North Macedonia, David Geer, said in an interview for Radio Free Europe that the EU supports the construction of railway corridors 8 and 10 and has an open and good dialogue with the government of North Macedonia on the matter.

The matter of the trans-European rail corridors has been a topical one in North Macedonia in recent days, after Transport Minister Aleksandar Nikoloski said that the country's priority is Corridor 10, which connects Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, North Macedonia and Hungary with Greece. Nikoloski plans to talk to sponsors about redirecting the funds agreed for the construction of Corridor 8, which connects Italy, Albania, North Macedonia and Bulgaria, to Corridor 10. North Macedonia's Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski backed Nikoloski's plans.

In an interview for the Bulgarian National Radio early Saturday, Germany's Special Representative for the Countries of the Western Balkan in the government of Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Manuel Sarrazin, said that transport corridors in Europe are the competence of Brussels, which is why no single country should have the power to change European priorities in transport policy. Sarrazin's interview was widely reported in North Macedonia.

Geer told Radio Free Europe that both Corridor 8 and Corridor 10 have Europe's full support. He added that while the need for Corridor 8 is there, the real question is how fast the project can be completed. He was confident that both corridors can be delivered.

Regarding the potential amendments to the Constitution of North Macedonia as a condition for a real start of the negotiations with the EU, Geer pointed out that solution is already on the table. He added that the agreement that Bulgaria and North Macedonia signed on July 22 came after tense negotiations and compromises made by both sides. The Ambassador expressed doubt that the current Government of North Macedonia would be able to reach a better deal. He added that he sees no appetite in Brussels to have the negotiating framework revisited, since a solution is already available.