site.btaPM Donev to Attend Groundbreaking Ceremony for Eastern Corridor VIII

Caretaker Prime Minister Galab Donev will visit the Republic of North Macedonia, where at the invitation of his counterpart Dimitar Kovacevski he will take part in the ceremony marking the start of construction of the eastern part of Rail Corridor VIII, section Kumanovo - Beljakovce - Kriva Palanka, the government's information service said in a press release on Thursday. The event will take place on Saturday, October 29, at noon, near the town of Kumanovo, and will also be attended by Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Policies and Minister of Transport and Communications Hristo Alexiev.

The Pan-European Corridor VIII connects Bulgaria with the Republic of North Macedonia, Albania and Italy (by sea). It is a key route in terms of strengthening the connectivity of the region, creating an intermodal link between the Black Sea and the Adriatic Sea. The corridor has the prospect to create a great added value for the development of the whole region. For this reason, Bulgaria, the Republic of North Macedonia and Albania are making joint efforts to complete it through the construction of major rail transport infrastructure projects in their respective territories.

Bulgaria is actively working for the inclusion of Corridor VIII in the priority European transport network, and in particular the Sofia - Skopje - Durres - Tirana route to be designated as part of the European corridor "Western Balkans". The extension of the rail network will have a lasting impact on shaping the cross-border movement of passengers and freight in a sustainable and environmentally friendly way in line with the objectives of the Green Deal and the Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy.