After Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport and Communications Grozdan Karadjov spoke to Greece's Minister of Infrastructure and Transport Christos Staikouras during the 8th Thessaloniki Summit, the two agreed that Bulgaria and Greece will propose a joint programme for the development of the southern part of the European transport corridor Baltic Sea - Black Sea - Aegean Sea, the Bulgarian Ministry of Transport press service reported on Tuesday. Together they will seek support from the European Commission, from international financial institutions and strategic investors to accelerate the development of the key transport corridor.
Karadjov, who spoke at a discussion panel entitled "The EU’s Transport corridors and Southeastern Europe Transport infrastructure", said that building transport connectivity is a task that requires huge investments that are unaffordable for national budgets. He added: "The importance of securing adequate EU co-financing for our transport projects must be emphasized in the next multiannual financial framework." He was adamant that private participation in the modernization and development of strategic infrastructure is a must.
The Deputy Prime Minister said that the renovation of the railway lines connecting Plovdiv and Burgas, Karnobat and Sindel, as well as Ruse and Varna is ongoing. He reported that Bulgaria is developing the seaports of Burgas and Varna and praised the Varna one for providing some of the shortest and cheapest transport routes between Europe and Asia.
Staikouras said that Greece's priority is the construction of the European transport corridors Baltic Sea - Black Sea - Aegean Sea and Western Balkans - Eastern Mediterranean. He pointed out that the construction of these routes will improve regional connectivity and economic development of the two countries.