Infrastructure projects of the ‘Black Sea’ region

Bulgaria

Bulgaria’s advantageous geographical location is one of the country’s greatest competitive advantages: it offers the possibility of establishing relations with European countries, Asia and Africa, and thus the possibility of transporting goods to Western Europe. This advantage is further reinforced by the fact that the two main corridors of the Pan-European transport network, i.e. those running from the eastern shores of the Mediterranean and the Danube, cross the territory of Bulgaria, where traffic flows from the east to the centre of the European Union. In order to achieve reliability and continuity in the transport of goods from China to Europe through Bulgaria, it is of particular importance to develop the intermodal hubs of Sofia, Burgas, Varna, Gorna Oryahovitsa and Plovdiviv airport, the railway terminals of Sofia, Plovdiv, Gorna Oryahovitsa, Ruse and Dragoman, as well as the inland waterways and seaports of Varna and Burgas.

New projects to be implemented by the year 2022 – with the participation of European funding – include rail and road transport. Construction works related to the renovation of railways and modernization of railway sections are also in progress, as well as the development of railway junctions in Sofia and Plovdiv. Modernisation activities on the Danube will be streamlined and optimised by providing specialised dredging facilities. A system for the electronic exchange of information in Bulgarian ports will also be established, which will greatly facilitate the functioning of these ports.

The strategic objectives of Bulgaria’s transport policy up to the year 2030 focus on the following issues: improvement of efficiency and competitiveness of the transport sector, improvement of transport connectivity and accessibility, and reduction of negative effects of transport sector development.

Romania

Three Pan-European corridors, from north to south and east to west (corridors IV, VII and IX, which are now also part of the TEN-T network) run through Romania. The country offers many transport opportunities due to its strategic location – a centre of intermodal transport between the Far East and Europe. For this reason, the government’s focus is on the strengthening of the strategic position of the port of Constanța, which is one of the largest Black Sea ports.

The Port of Constanța offers a multimodal connection between ports in the Baltic Sea and the Adriatic Sea. Due to its location in Europe and the Black Sea, it plays an important role in the flow of goods between Asia and Europe. Romania wants to develop the harbour of Constanța for all transport modes: river, rail and road. Constanța is the only port on the Black Sea located at the mouth of the Danube River.

Romania’s Ministry of Transport attaches great importance to the cooperation within the “16+1” platform. The development of transport infrastructure is one of the key aspects in the Romanian economy. The country has produced an integrative document which mentions the priorities for the development of the main transport infrastructure up to the year 2030 (regarding roads, railways, air connections and multimodal connections).