site.btaPort Competitiveness and Middle Corridor Development in Focus of Working Meeting

The competitiveness of Bulgaria's sea and river harbours and their role in the development of the strategic Middle Corridor from Southeast Asia and China to Europe were discussed at a working meeting at the Transport and Communications Ministry in Sofia, the ministry's press office reported on Friday.

The meeting was attended by Transport and Communications Minister Georgi Peev and Deputy Minister Anna Natova, representatives of state-owned and private port operators, and industry associations from the maritime and inland waterway transport sectors.

Speakers outlined the main challenges facing the sector, including underdeveloped road and railway infrastructure, an outdated regulatory framework and the need for a new port governance model. The ministry noted that no systemic problems affecting navigation along the Bulgarian stretch of the Danube River has been identified over the past four years.

Peev said the goal is to prepare a long-term development plan for the sector based on clear economic priorities that will strengthen Bulgaria's position on the international transport map.

The ministry added that the government intends to raise the issue of increased transit fees for passage through the Bosphorus during upcoming intergovernmental negotiations with Turkiye. According to the ministry, Bulgaria will emphasize its key role in Turkiye's overland and rail exports to Europe and Ankara's interest in developing new railway links and alternative transport routes.

The Bulgarian Chamber of Shipping, the Burgas Maritime Association and Danube port operators are expected to submit proposals on the sector's most pressing problems and possible solutions to the Transport and Communications Ministry within two weeks, the press release said. The proposals will be used in drafting the future strategy for the development of waterborne transport, planned legislative amendments and the sector's master development plans.

The Middle Corridor, also called the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, had been among the topics which Peev discussed during the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Gdansk, Poland last week.