Bulgaria, Greece and Romania have signed an action plan covering 25 priority cross-border transport projects with an estimated total value of €22.8 billion. The projects are intended to improve connections between the Aegean Sea, the Danube and the Black Sea.
The action plan was signed in Brussels on September 29 as part of the Black Sea–Aegean Sea Corridor Platform. The 25 projects were selected from a wider portfolio of 53 initiatives, with part of the required funding already secured.
Railways Make Up the Largest Part of the Plan
Rail infrastructure accounts for the largest share of the projects. The priorities include higher speeds, greater freight capacity, railway electrification, European safety systems and better connections to ports.
One of the projects expected to move forward in the near term is the modernisation of the existing Ruse–Giurgiu–Bucharest railway connection, including electrification of the existing Danube bridge.
According to the Bulgarian Ministry of Transport, implementation of this project is planned for 2028–2030, while an application for funding is expected under the Connecting Europe Facility.
The action plan also includes the modernisation of sections of the Burgas–Varna–Ruse railway route and the design of two additional Danube bridges near Silistra and Nikopol. Funding for these projects is planned within the wider 2028–2034 period.
New Ruse–Giurgiu Bridge Planned
Another major project is a new combined road and rail bridge between Ruse in Bulgaria and Giurgiu in Romania. The project also includes bypasses around the two cities, with completion currently expected in 2032.
The plan also includes FAST2 Danube, a project focused on improving navigation conditions along the Bulgarian-Romanian section of the Danube. Funding for this project has already been secured, with completion scheduled for 2028.
In Greece, the priorities include upgrades to the Alexandroupoli–Pythio–Ormenio railway line and the Mouries–Promachonas–Kulata section. The plan also includes improved rail connectivity between the Port of Thessaloniki and the national railway network.
The three countries aim to coordinate the development of these projects so that individual road, rail and waterway investments form a more continuous transport network between the Aegean, Danube and Black Sea.
The initiative is a continuation of a trilateral memorandum signed in December 2025 and is linked to the European transport corridors connecting the region with the wider European network.
