site.btaRepublic of North Macedonia and Bulgaria Joint Monitoring Committee Approves Application Guidelines for Klepalo Border Crossing Project

The process to build the Klepalo border crossing between Bulgaria and the Republic of North Macedonia has been initiated. The opening of the border crossing connecting Strumyani and Berovo is a strategic project in the new Programme for Cross-Border Cooperation Bulgaria - Republic of North Macedonia 2021-2027.

The decision was made within the framework of the Joint Monitoring Committee's first meeting, which was held in Strumica. It approved the Application Guidelines for the preparation and construction of the border crossing, which will be financed with over EUR 10.3 million from the programme. The beneficiaries are the regional administration in Blagoevgrad and the Customs administration in the Republic of North Macedonia, said the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works.

"This is actually the first invitation to apply for the programme. We will realize a 20-year-long dream of the residents in the region, at a very important moment in the development of relations between the two countries", commented the Deputy Minister of Regional Development and Public Works Desislava Georgieva. who co-chaired the meeting. She added that the construction of the new border crossing will facilitate the busy traffic between the two countries, stimulate the economic development of the region and provide direct access to the Struma motorway, which is an important part of the trans-European transport network.

The territorial strategy focuses in two directions: increasing the competitiveness of the local economy through technological transformation and promoting year-round tourism with smart solutions. A total of EUR 15.6 million has been allocated for projects in these areas, which equates to half of the funds under the programme. 

The Republic of North Macedonia's Foreign Minister, Bujar Osmani, noted on Wednesday during a bilateral economic forum in Skopje that a number of further initiatives are planned under the new EU programming cycle, including the development of the Klepalo-Strumiani.border crossing.

Twenty-three years have passed from the signing of the agreement between the governments of Bulgaria and the Republic of North Macedonia in 1999, which provided for the construction of the Klepalo border checkpoint between the two countries. At the beginning of November, an expert commission with representatives from both Bulgaria and the Republic of North Macedonia adopted the technical parameters for awarding the infrastructure design of the new Strumyani - Berovo border crossing. The need to strengthen regional connectivity and to facilitate the growing traffic of people and goods between the two countries is the leading motive for the accelerated construction of the Klepalo border checkpoint, and was highlighted at the working meeting of the Joint Expert Commission on the project in April in Sofia.