site.btaParliament Ratifies Agreement with Romania on Danube Navigation Project

The National Assembly ratified an agreement with Romania for joint public procurement under the FAST Danube 2 project to improve navigation on the Danube River on Wednesday. The decision was reached during a single session, covering both the first and second readings.

The FAST Danube 2 project, a collaboration between Bulgaria and Romania, is funded by the Connecting Europe Facility for Transport for 2021–2027. The proposed engineering interventions in the shared section of the Danube River are designed to enhance navigation conditions, increase traffic safety, and strengthen the region’s connectivity with the broader European Union. These measures support the development of transport infrastructure and systems, facilitating the free movement of goods and people along the core Trans-European Transport Network.

The approved project funding totals EUR 229,999,786, excluding VAT. Bulgaria’s financial commitments amount to EUR 111,831,421, with grants covering up to EUR 95,056,707.85 (up to 85%), as outlined in the parliamentary budget and finance committee report. The financial contributions of project partners are allocated based on the sections of the Danube River under their responsibility.

Regarding the distribution of project activities, the Romanian side will act as coordinator and will lead the joint awarding of three public procurement contracts: environmental monitoring, design and construction, and construction supervision. Each project partner will independently award contracts for publicity measures, financial audit, and verification of project expenditures in each country, in compliance with Bulgarian and Romanian legislation, according to the report.

During the debate, Kosta Stoyanov of Vazrazhdane argued that the Treaty of Neuilly defines the river’s fairway as the State border on the Danube. He cautioned that supporting the agreement would mean moving the fairway, and therefore the State border, to Bulgaria’s disadvantage. He described adopting the decision in its current form as a national betrayal.

Deputy Minister of Transport and Communications Angel Zaburtov explained that the State border was established by a 1908 convention and that several attempts have been made to revise it since then. He clarified that efforts to improve the navigable channel will not impact the State border of the Republic of Bulgaria. Zaburtov pointed out that navigation on the Danube River is challenging at certain times of the year, making the FAST Danube 2 project a key logistics initiative. He also noted that the Danube River is one of the most promising corridors for European connectivity and that there is a strong commitment to ensuring its reliability.

FAST Danube 2 has been on the European and national agenda for several years. In October 2023, European Transport Commissioner Adina Valean urged Bulgaria and Romania to submit a joint proposal under the Connecting Europe Facility, and in January 2024 Bulgaria’s Transport Ministry confirmed that a common project to improve navigation and safety on the shared stretch of the Danube had been filed. By April 2025, Executive Agency for Exploration and Maintenance of the Danube River head Ivelin Zanev put its value at about EUR 230 million, mostly CEF-funded, aiming for year-round navigation on the Bulgarian–Romanian section by dredging 12 critical reaches, stabilising river banks and building hydraulic structures, with completion targeted for end-2028. The government later confirmed the cost and set Bulgaria’s contribution at EUR 111.8 million, up to 85% covered by EU grants, while the Executive Agency and Romania’s Galati Lower Danube River Administration agreed to jointly manage public procurement.

Deputy Prime Minister Atanas Zafirov said in Bucharest on April 7, 2025, that Bulgaria had a ready solution for FAST Danube 2 and that implementation could start as soon as Romania signed, stressing its role in near year-round navigability and in unlocking other cross-border projects such as new bridges and ferry links. Complementary EU-funded work includes the EUR 10 million DISMAR project under the Interreg VI-A Romania–Bulgaria programme to improve navigation conditions, and by October 2025 the parliamentary agenda was already listing ratification of the joint procurement agreement between the Executive Agency and the Galati administration.