The transport ministries of Bulgaria, Romania, and Greece are joining forces to jointly apply for funding. The initiative is being implemented under the 2026 call for project proposals, which is part of the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) – Transport sector for the 2021–2027 period, the government press office officially announced.
The deadline for submitting project proposals under this call is October 6, 2026. The procedure covers two main areas: the Cohesion envelope and the Military Mobility envelope. The projects are planned to be implemented primarily along the central and western axes of the "Baltic Sea – Black Sea – Aegean Sea" European transport corridor, as well as along the adjacent sections that are part of the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T).
The foundation for this cooperation was laid by the Memorandum for Enhanced Cross-Border Cooperation within the framework of the "Black Sea – Aegean Sea" Corridor Platform and its accompanying action plan. Both documents were officially signed in Brussels on December 3, 2025. They define the overall framework for the coordinated planning, preparation, financing, and practical implementation of key cross-border projects along the "Baltic Sea – Black Sea – Aegean Sea" and "Rhine – Danube" European transport corridors.
Specific intentions for these areas include:
- Under the Cohesion envelope: preparing feasibility studies for the "Mihailovo – Dimitrovgrad" railway section and for the construction of the "Lyubimets – Svilengrad – border with the Republic of Greece" railway segment.
- Under the Military Mobility envelope: expanding the section from the end of the "Struma" motorway to the "Kulata" border checkpoint, conducting a study for the "Veliko Tarnovo – Nikolaevo – Maritsa motorway" road, and electrifying the "Danube Bridge – Ruse marshalling yard" railway section.
The press office emphasizes that the main goals of these infrastructure projects are to create conditions for more dynamic and efficient passenger and freight flow, as well as to strengthen the resilience of the transport system and supply chains.
BTA recalls that at the beginning of this year, Bulgaria hosted a large-scale four-party meeting. Representatives from Bulgaria, Greece, Romania, and the European Commission took part in the discussions. The forum launched the practical work on the Memorandum for Enhanced Cross-Border Cooperation for the "Black Sea – Aegean Sea" corridor, signed in Brussels in December 2025 with the significant support of the European Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism, Apostolos Tzitzikostas.