Parliament greenlights Bulgaria–North Macedonia rail tunnel agreement

Bulgaria’s parliament on Thursday ratified an agreement with North Macedonia on the construction and operation of a cross-border railway tunnel linking the two countries.

The agreement was approved by lawmakers in both the first and second readings during a single session.

Reached on 6 November between Sofia and Skopje, the deal is the result of long-standing Bulgarian efforts to establish a railway connection between the two capitals. According to the explanatory memorandum of the draft law, the agreement is an important step towards connecting the two countries' rail networks and completing the missing section of Pan-European Transport Corridor VIII.

Outgoing Deputy Prime Minister and Transport Minister Grozdan Karadjov said that the missing section on Bulgarian territory amounts to 2.4 km, from Gyueshevo station to Deve Bair.

Construction of the long-delayed facility will resume more than 83 years after it was first launched.

Editor: Ivo Ivanov