09.06.2022

STUDY FOR NEW 5 BRIDGES ON THE DANUBE

Bulgaria and Romania are launching simultaneous feasibility studies at five locations on both sides of the Danube to build new bridges. For the Romanian side, dredging the Danube is a priority. The Bulgarian side will respond adequately to this, as on June 20 the Executive Agency for Maintenance and Research of the Danube River will start dredging the river with its own funds, and within a week a public tender for dredging activities will be announced.

This was stated by the Minister of Transport and Communications Nikolay Sabev in Bucharest to the joint Bulgarian-Romanian working group on connectivity, which is under the patronage of the two prime ministers. On the Romanian side, the working group is led by Sorin Grindianu, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport and Infrastructure. The Bulgarian delegation was accompanied by the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Bulgaria to Bucharest HE Radko Vlaykov.

Minister Sabev stated that funding has been provided for the deepening of the Danube in the amount of BGN 15 million. "The documentation has been prepared and has already been sent to the Public Procurement Agency for preliminary control, and the funds have been distributed for a 3-year period," he explained.

Regarding the joint Fast Danube project, Sabev and Grindianu agreed by the end of 2022 on a joint working group to prepare a joint project for financing by the EC of the planned engineering measures on the river.

Minister Sabev informed his Romanian counterpart that Bulgaria is fully prepared for the launch of the ferry connection Ruse - Giurgiu and proposed a joint border control in Ruse, while in Giurgiu the necessary conditions are created for this. Deputy Prime Minister Grindianu has pledged to help local authorities speed up action in Giurgiu.

The Bulgarian side plans to start repairing its part of the Danube Bridge 1 in July, which from the point of view of the Romanian delegation could create serious problems for the tourist and trade flows. The issue will be discussed so that repair time can be planned so that traffic between the two countries is hampered to a minimum.