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Bulgaria and North Macedonia signed an agreement Thursday to jointly prepare, construct and operate a cross-border railway tunnel aimed at strengthening transport links between the neighboring countries.
The agreement was formalized by Bulgarian Deputy Prime Minister and Transport Minister Grozdan Karadzhov and North Macedonian Deputy Prime Minister and Transport Minister Aleksandar Nikolovski during a ceremony at the Gyueshevo train station in southwestern Bulgaria, local media reported.
Karadzhov called the deal “a significant step in bilateral relations,” noting that the tunnel would complete the missing rail connection between the two countries and improve transport between the Black Sea and the Adriatic Sea.
He said the 2.4-kilometer (1.5-mile) tunnel would contribute to regional economic development and bolster integration with European Union and NATO transport networks.
Nikolovski underscored the tunnel’s strategic, economic and geopolitical importance for both the Balkans and Europe. He added that the project carries added weight amid Russia’s war against Ukraine, saying the railway corridor “would support NATO operations and assist Ukraine in defending its sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity.”
Separately, the European Commission has postponed a €215 million ($246.8 million) payment to Bulgaria over the country’s failure to meet a key requirement in its Recovery and Resilience Plan: establishing a politically independent anti-corruption commission, according to media reports Wednesday.
The BTA news agency said the decision followed Bulgaria’s missed deadline to implement the reform. A commission spokesperson told the outlet that Brussels would remain in close contact with Bulgarian authorities to provide necessary support.
Bulgaria now has six months to comply with the requirement.
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In early October, the commission sent a letter requesting a response within one month regarding the unmet condition. It warned that if the issue remained unresolved, the €215 million payment would be postponed for another six months.
Just days earlier, the commission had given preliminary approval to Bulgaria’s second payment request under the plan, totaling €653 million ($750 million).
Bulgaria’s Recovery and Resilience Plan includes €6.17 billion ($7.08 billion) in total grant funding, according to the report.
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