Bulgaria Signs Declaration to Develop Orient/East Med Rail Freight Corridor

Bulgaria’s Transport Minister Ivaylo Moskovski has signed a declaration to developthe Orient/East Mediterranean rail freight corridor – a project dedicated to improving railway freight services in Europe.

The document was also signed by the transport ministers of Austria, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Greece and Germany within the framework of TEN-T 2016 Days conference taking place in Rotterdam on June 20-22.

The project embodies the principle of the trans–European network and illustrates the challenge its integration poses. Ultimately, it aims to connect Central and Eastern Europe better to the North Sea and Baltic Sea coasts. 

"The development of international freight transport will contribute to the development and smooth functioning of a sustainable single European railway area," Moskovski said at the conference, according to a statement issued by the Transport Ministry in Sofia on Tuesday.

The TEN-T 2016 is an event organized by the European Commission.

The inclusion of the Western Balkans in the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) is of great importsnce for Bulgaria, Moskovski said at a ministerial meeting of Bulgaria and neighboring countries held as a part of the conference under the motto “TEN-T - a bridge between Europe and the rest of the world”.

The creation of a common transport network in Europe and its neighboring regions is extremely challenging as it needs significant financial resources plus good coordination and cooperation in order to achieve and implement common standards, procedures and interoperability, Moskovski said.