Bulgaria, Greece and Romania Adopt Action Plan for 25 Key Transport Projects Along the Aegean Sea–Danube–Black Sea Axis

Bulgaria, Greece and Romania are moving from political coordination to joint planning and implementation of specific cross-border transport projects along three routes connecting the Aegean Sea, the Danube and the Black Sea. At a high-level meeting in Brussels entitled “Friends of South-East Europe: Bridging the Gaps Together”, an action plan was signed by Transport Ministers Georgi Peev and Christos Dimas, Romanian State Secretary for Transport and Infrastructure Ionel Scrioșteanu, European Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism Apostolos Tzitzikostas, European Coordinator for the Baltic Sea–Black Sea–Aegean Sea European Transport Corridor Mario Mauro, European Coordinator for the Rhine–Danube European Transport Corridor Margarida Marques, and European Investment Bank Vice-President Robert de Groot. The action plan implements the Memorandum of Understanding signed on 3 December 2025 between the governments of the three countries on enhanced cross-border cooperation within the framework of the Black Sea–Aegean Sea Corridor Platform.

Of the 53 projects, 25 have been identified as initiatives of key importance and at an advanced stage of readiness. These include major cross-border connections, bridges, and rail and road corridors. Their total estimated cost is approximately 22.8 billion, with funding partially secured. The aim is to establish a continuous transport network along the North–South and East–West axes.

“Cross-border projects for which there is political commitment, technical readiness and a realistic prospect of securing funding must be included simultaneously in national investment programmes so that infrastructure development on both sides of the border can proceed in a coordinated manner,” said Minister of Transport and Communications Georgi Peev during the forum. He added that connecting the Aegean Sea through Bulgaria to the Danube, Romania and the European transport network is a strategic priority for Bulgaria.

Minister Peev expressed Bulgaria’s support for substantial EU funding for cross-border transport infrastructure under the EU’s next Multiannual Financial Framework for 2028–2034, as well as for increasing the funding available under the Connecting Europe Facility.

“When planning new infrastructure, the transport and defence sectors must work together from the very outset so that investments meet both economic needs and the requirements for resilience, crisis preparedness and military mobility,” the Bulgarian minister emphasized.

Rail connectivity accounts for the largest share of the projects included in the signed action plan. The aim is to achieve higher speeds, greater freight capacity, electrification, European safety systems, the double-tracking of railway sections, better connections to ports and more reliable links between Bulgaria, Greece, Romania, Moldova and Ukraine. The modernization of sections along one of the busiest railway routes, between Burgas, Varna and Ruse, as well as the design of two new bridges over the Danube, near Silistra and Nikopol, are also scheduled to receive funding in the period up to 2034.

Among the projects expected to be implemented most quickly is the modernization of the existing Ruse–Giurgiu–Bucharest railway link, including the electrification of the existing bridge. The project will apply for funding under the Connecting Europe Facility’s “Reflow call” within the current programming period. The implementation period is 2028–2030.

The deepening of the waterway along the border between Bulgaria and Romania, FAST2 Danube, is one of the projects with secured funding, with completion scheduled for 2028.

The construction of a new combined rail and road bridge between Giurgiu and Ruse, including bypass routes around both cities, is expected to be completed by 2032.