GYUESHEVO – The European Union (EU) is backing enhanced collaboration between Bulgaria and the Republic of North Macedonia (RNM). This was conveyed in Gyueshevo, Bulgaria, by Valentina Superti, Director for the Western Balkans at the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Neighborhood and Enlargement Negotiations, following the signing of a Transport Connectivity Agreement by Bulgaria’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport and Communications Grozdán Karadzhov and RNM’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport Alexander Nikoloski.
The agreement focuses on the preparation, construction, and operation of a cross-border railway tunnel between Bulgaria and RNM, which is critical for both nations, the region, the EU, and its member states, Superti emphasized. The EU, alongside its partners, is offering substantial financial support for this essential project and expects strong leadership to ensure its effective and timely implementation.
Superti highlighted that the tunnel’s construction along Corridor 8 is part of the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) – a key initiative under the “Global Gateway” strategy, promising significant social and economic benefits for the region. This development will enhance transportation services, widen access to the EU and global markets, and bolster sustainable transport, thereby increasing regional competitiveness.
By finalizing this agreement, we are actualizing a concept that has existed for 138 years since the early plans for the Balkan railway connecting Sofia and Skopje, stated Bulgaria’s Deputy Prime Minister Grozdán Karadzhov, who thanked international partners, financial institutions, and the ambassadors of EU and NATO countries for reviving the project.
RNM’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport Alexander Nikoloski remarked that this represents one of the most significant transport corridors with strategic, economic, and geopolitical importance for the Balkans and all of Europe.
The cross-border tunnel is a crucial component of the transport corridor “Western Balkans – Eastern Mediterranean” and the strategic Corridor 8, as noted by the Bulgarian Ministry of Transport. Its completion will establish the missing railway link between Bulgaria and RNM, facilitating better transport access between the Black Sea and the Adriatic.
According to the ministry, Corridor 8 links the Adriatic Sea to the Black Sea via Albania, RNM, and Bulgaria. Minister Karadzhov explained that the railway segment of Corridor 8 spans approximately 1,350 km, with 747 km located in Bulgaria, where only the final 2.4 km border stretch between Gyueshevo and Deve Bair remains to be constructed. (06.11.2025)
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