Greece, Bulgaria and Romania should set up a joint research and development consortium for the Vertical Corridor, Greek deputy development minister Stavros Kalafatis has proposed. He spoke today at an international forum on the corridor at the Sofia Balkan Palace hotel in Sofia.
Kalafatis said Greek ports are not rivals of Varna, Burgas and Constanta. He said they are the southern sea entrance to a single supply system that combines different types of transport. He named northern Greece and the ports of Thessaloniki, Alexandroupolis and Kavala as an important part of the corridor.
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The deputy minister also proposed that the three countries apply together for EU programmes. He named Horizon Europe, the Connecting Europe Facility and the funds for military mobility and resilience.
The Greek government backs faster building of cross-border links, Kalafatis said. They include upgrading the Thessaloniki-Alexandroupolis-Ormenio railway and linking the ports. The development ministry in Athens wants the new lines and facilities to have the digital technology they need.
Kalafatis proposed using artificial intelligence, algorithms and the internet of things to forecast cargo flows and manage traffic flexibly, depending on load. At the borders, he sees automated customs procedures, blockchain and smart scanners, including on the Promachon-Kulata route. He said this could cut delays and transport costs.
He also spoke about digital twins of the corridor. These are computer models that simulate flows in real time and predict technical faults. For the ports, the idea is that ships get power from the shore and run on hydrogen and other alternative fuels.
Kalafatis said instability in the world in recent years, changes in trade routes and the need for a green and digital transition show how important transport links are. He said Europe needs them for its security, its economic stability and its ability to decide for itself. He called the corridor a route of the highest importance for the stability of the region.
Kalafatis believes the corridor could become an important route to support Moldova and Ukraine. It could also be an alternative that eases sea traffic and protects supply chains in South-East Europe.
The corridor links the Aegean, Black and Baltic seas. There is also an energy vertical corridor alongside the transport one, and Kalafatis said transport and energy security are linked. The two corridors could also become a shared area for scientific co-operation and new technology, he said.
The Bulgarian-Greek Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Bulgarian Aviation Industry Association and the Bulgarian-Romanian Bilateral Chamber of Commerce are organising the forum, "Vertical Corridor. Prospects for Transport Development on the Balkan Peninsula. The Role of Bulgaria, Greece and Romania".