site.btaFences at Non-operational Rudozem-Xanthi Border Crossing Removed, Access into Greece Is By Foot Only

The metal fences, which prevented cars and people from reaching the non-working Rudozem-Xanthi border crossing were removed on Friday, a BTA reporter saw. Temporary arrangements have been put in place so that people can reach the border, Smolyan Regional Governor Zahari Sirakov told BTA. “After removing the fence, it is now possible to enter Greece, but the only access is on foot. We hope that citizens will show sense and not cross the transport section that has not been put into operation,” Sirakov added.

The border crossing and the accompanying infrastructure at Rudozem-Xanthi were completed by the end of 2021, but the opening was postponed because of a delay in the construction of the road on the Greek side. During those years security for the building has cost hundreds of thousands of leva, according to the Smolyan Regional Administration. The route from Dimario to the border has been covered with asphalted, but finishing works remain, such as the installation of kerbs and road markings. The road is not finished and is a construction site, Smolyan district governor Zahari Sirakov said at the end of December. He said there is no explicit ban on passing through the checkpoint, but traffic has been restricted to avoid unnecessary accidents.

On Friday, cars can only reach the newly-built building for the customs office. The temporary traffic arrangements were put in place after a meeting on Friday of Regional Governor Zahari Sirakov, Rudozem Mayor Nedko Kulevski, the head of the local road authority Kostadinka Milanova, the head of the Smolyan police department, Chief Commissioner Tsvetan Tsankov, and Miroslav Belyashki head of the Plovdiv office of the Customs Agency. The representatives of local and state institutions inspected on the site the access to the non-operational border crossing and the border with Greece.

Vehicles cannot cross into Greek territory, where cone barriers have been erected.  On the Bulgarian side, access for cars is also prevented by a metal fence installed next to the border itself.

The link between Dimario and the border is an entirely new facility that needs to be commissioned, the Governor explained. He said that the inspection showed that the road to the border on the Greek side is still a construction site, where finishing works, such as the installation of road barriers and markings, have been delayed probably due to the bad weather conditions.

Rocks tumble down on the road from Rudozem to the border from the nearby mountain hill. The Regional Governor said that the authorities will request that a safety net is put up to secure the route in the areas with falling rock debris.

At the site of the non-working border crossing on Friday there were people who came from the neighboring village of Chepintsi and from Rudozem. Many families in Chepintsi have relatives across the border, we are all looking forward to meeting friends and relatives from the neighbouring Greek villages, said Chepintsi Mayor Riza Brahimbashev. Greek guests of residents of Chepintsi arrive by cars to the border crossing where the hosts transport them to the village.

“Today the right decision was made to remove the fences because there has been some tension recently,” said Rudozem Mayor Nedko Kulevski. He expressed hope that the partners on the Greek side will be ready soon with the road so that both Bulgarians and Greeks can pass freely. The mayor said that the Rudozem bypass road, which should take cross-border traffic out of the town centre, will be ready in time.

After Bulgaria’s Schengen accession by land the buildings at the Rudozem-Xanthi border crossing continue to be guarded by a private company hired by the Customs Agency. On the premises, according to Zahari Sirakov, there is equipment, facilities, scales, and a medical station, which makes it necessary to maintain a security detail.

The customs officers who were supposed to work at the border crossing were selected and appointed two years ago, Miroslav Belyashki said. Because of the plans and expectations that the border crossing would be opened years ago, the Customs Agency took measures to recruit a a team. After the removal of the border control, the officers will continue to work under the new set-up, developed jointly with the Border Police and the Ministry of Interior.

The Rudozem-Xanthi border crossing was built under a 1995 agreement for the opening of three new border crossings between Bulgaria and Greece. The checkpoint at Rudozem was built on EU funding and its cost over EUR 5 million. In April 2024, the site was handed over to the Road Infrastructure Agency and the Customs Agency for management and operation.

Dozens of vehicles headed to the border crossing on the first day without land border controls  between Bulgaria and Greece, but the vehicles were stopped by a metal fence located nearly a kilometer before the checkpoint.  The fences did not stop those wishing to reach Greek territory walking the distance on snow-covered paths through the forest. "Land border controls have been removed, but the fence at Elidze has not," said Nikolay Georgiev, one of the visitors near the border in the early hours of January 1.

Patrols of the Border Police and the Interior Ministry stopped motorists, warning them that the road was closed. A security guard for a private company guarding the premises of the border crossing, which went out of commission before it started operating, was on duty next to the fence itself. Several cars came to the checkpoint during the night, and in the morning the first car arrived at 9 am, the guard explained.

"I'm just coming to take a look, to see what the situation is, we came to Rome, we have to see the Pope too, i.e. Greece," jokes Nikolay Georgiev, a taxi driver. He continues to the border on foot along steep paths recommended by border guards as an alternative.

Residents of the border village of Chepintsi and of Rudozem expect the commissioning of the road to bring economic revival to the region. Older residents are more sceptical about plans for free travel through the crossing point at Elidzhe. "For years they have been lying to us and always making excuses for the Greeks, and they also claimed that the Austrians were preventing us from Schengen. Now they have let us into Schengen, but we still can't get in," said Fakri from Chepintsi. He added that the locals were very disappointed by another postponement as they had planned to drink coffee in Greece in the first days of the new year. According to Fahri, the promises and plans to open the road to the southern neighbour via Elidzhe have been in place for 30 years. The border crossing is a monument, said Mustafa, who is a local resident.

The prices of properties in Rudozem and the surrounding area have increased by about 50% recently, precisely because of the expected opening of the border, the Mayor Nedko Kulevski told BTA. According to him, Rudozem has also seen increased investor interest in the past two years.