Danube: FAST Danube 2 Project for Navigation Approved by Parliament

The Parliament gave the green light to a key project for improving navigation on the Danube River, approving in first and second reading within a single session the bill for the ratification of an agreement between the Bulgarian Executive Agency "Research and Maintenance of the Danube River" and the Romanian River Administration for the Lower Danube - Galati. The agreement provides for the joint awarding of public procurement within the framework of the project "Improving the conditions for navigation in the common Bulgarian-Romanian section of the Danube River – FAST Danube 2".

The FAST Danube 2 project, implemented in partnership between Bulgaria and Romania, is financed by the Connecting Europe Facility, "Transport" sector for the period 2021-2027. The ambitious goal of the project is to improve navigation conditions and traffic safety in the common section of the river. In addition, the project aims to strengthen the links of the Danube region with the rest of the European Union, including through the improvement of transport infrastructure, systems and the free movement of goods and people along the "main" Trans-European Transport Network.

The funding approved for the project reaches an impressive 229,999,786.00 euros, excluding VAT. According to the report of the parliamentary committee on budget and finance, the financial commitments of the Bulgarian side amount to 111,831,421.00 euros, including grants of up to 95,056,707.85 euros, which represents up to 85% of the total amount. The distribution of financial obligations between the countries is in line with the sections of the Danube River for which each of them is responsible.

Regarding the operational structure of the project, the Romanian side plays the role of coordinator. It will have a leading role in the joint awarding of three public procurements: environmental monitoring, design and construction, as well as the exercise of construction supervision. At the same time, each of the project partners will be responsible for the implementation of publicity and financial audit measures, as well as for the verification of project costs for the respective country, in accordance with the national legislation of Bulgaria and Romania, the report also states.

The debate on the bill in the plenary hall opened the door to heated discussions. Kosta Stoyanov from the political party "Vazrazhdane" expressed concern, reminding that the Treaty of Neuilly defines the fairway of the Danube River as a state border. He warned that support for the agreement would be equated with voting to shift the fairway, which, according to him, would mean shifting the state border to the detriment of the Bulgarian side. Stoyanov was categorical that the adoption of the decision in this form would constitute national treason.

The Deputy Minister of Transport and Communications Angel Zaburtov responded to the concerns, assuring that the state border was determined by a convention from 1908 and that several attempts were subsequently made to correct it. Zaburtov stressed that the planned improvement of the waterway will not affect the state border of the Republic of Bulgaria. He emphasized the need for the FAST Danube 2 project, highlighting the problems with navigation on the Danube River during certain periods of the year. Zaburtov concluded by stating that the Danube River represents one of the most promising corridors for connection with Europe and therefore must be made reliable.