A international forum on the Vertical Transport Corridor, a planned link between Black Sea and Aegean ports including Burgas, will take place in Sofia on Friday 6 November, the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) said. The news appeared in the latest issue of the chamber's online bulletin, Infobusiness.

The forum starts at 10:30am at the Sofia Balkan Palace hotel. Its full title is "Vertical Corridor. Prospects for Developing Transport on the Balkan Peninsula. The Role of Bulgaria, Greece and Romania".

The Bulgarian-Greek Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the BCCI and the Bulgarian Aviation Industry Association are organising it. The Bulgaria-Romania Bilateral Chamber of Commerce is a partner.

The ports and cities along the corridor are Thessaloniki, Alexandroupolis, Kavala, Varna, Burgas and Ruse.

The draft programme lists representatives of the Bulgarian and Greek governments. European commissioner for sustainable transport and tourism Apostolos Tzitzikostas will give a special address. Major ports, rail operators, logistics groups, chambers of commerce and official bodies will take part in the talks.

The programme has four linked parts. The first covers railways and the place of ports in wider transport networks. The second looks at cross-border transport co-operation and international partnerships. The third deals with roads, Danube bridges, regional corridors and access to ports. The fourth discusses EU money and partnerships between the state and private business that could bring new investment.

The organisers say the forum should bring together European and national bodies, governments, diplomatic missions, international investors, business people and major firms in transport, shipping, railways and logistics. They want the talks to focus on upgrading the corridor and improving links between ports, railways, roads and neighbouring countries. They aim for sea, rail and road transport to work more closely together, so goods can move more easily between southern, central and eastern Europe.

The BCCI sees the corridor as a chance for better transport links between southern and central Europe. The chamber says linking the main routes and ports could ease trade, speed up upgrades to roads and railways, attract new investment and make south-eastern Europe more competitive.

In October we reported that the plan by Bulgaria, Greece and Romania for 25 cross-border transport projects worth about €22.8bn includes better links to the ports of Varna, Burgas and Ruse. The document was signed in Brussels in September under the auspices of commissioner Apostolos Tzitzikostas.

The draft programme of the forum has been published online.