site.btaTransport Ministry: EBRD Wants to Invest in Second Danube Bridge at Ruse, Railway Infrastructure

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is interested in investing in the construction of a second bridge between Ruse and Giurgiu, as well as in railway infrastructure projects in Bulgaria, it emerged at a meeting between Transport and Communications Minister Georgi Gvozdeikov and the Head of Bulgaria for the EBRD, Anca Ionescu, the Transport Ministry said on Tuesday. The two officials discussed partnership opportunities for the implementation of the upcoming investments in the transport sector.

"The construction of a new bridge across the Danube is a priority issue that must be resolved quickly, because traffic along this route is increasing daily. We believe that Bulgaria and Romania, as two countries of the European family, should work together and in partnership with the European Commission to implement this strategic project," the Transport Minister said. He added that any support that will help the implementation of investments under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan and other European programmes in the transport sector is important. "We have the necessary financial instruments, which gives us great opportunities to achieve the goals, but we need to significantly accelerate the work on their implementation," Minister Georgi Gvozdeikov further commented.

So far, the EBRD has invested more than BGN 10 billion in transport projects in Bulgaria. Its priority is a second bridge across the Danube at Ruse-Giurgiu, which is increasingly important at European level, Ionescu said, adding that it is ready for future talks on the construction of a logistics maritime hub at the port of Varna-West. On the green transport side, EBRD wants to invest both in the rehabilitation of the railway infrastructure and in the construction of electric vehicle charging stations.

Gvozdeikov pointed out that the ministry is ready at expert level to immediately consider all proposals from the EBRD, taking them into account the projects already planned within the European support programmes. "We will take a detailed look at your proposals for cooperation on important projects for the country, with the aim of starting work in a short timeframe on the projects for which full funding has not yet been secured," he noted.