Transport Minister Karadjov: Rail to Lead Bulgaria’s Green Transition

Kaloyan Kirilov

Minister of Transport and Communications Grozdan Karadjov at the Green Transition Forum, Sofia Event Center, Sofia, June 16, 2025 (BTA Photo/Minko Chernev)

Sofia,

16.06.2025 15:04

(BTA)

Rail transport will become the backbone of public transport, Minister of Transport and Communications Grozdan Karadjov said during his participation in the Green Transition Forum 5.0: Competitiveness and Innovation in Central and Eastern European Countries on Monday.

Karadjov assured that the development of the railway network is a strategic priority and that rail transport in Bulgaria could become an attractive alternative to road transport.

“Competition creates better quality and low prices,” Karadjov said regarding the entry of new players into the passenger rail transport market.

The Ministry of Transport and Communications has long used concession procedures, Karadjov reminded, with 15 ports and four of Bulgaria’s five airports currently under concession, along with one intermodal terminal.

Addressing participants in the panel discussion on transport and connectivity, Karadjov also pointed out the importance of Bulgaria's geographical position and the transport corridors. He underlined the significance of Corridor 8, linking the Adriatic to the Black Sea, as well as the North-South Corridor. According to Karadjov, the connection between Bulgaria and Greece is not sufficiently well developed, and there is no rail connection between Bulgaria and North Macedonia, with only “a narrow road and nothing else”.

Karadjov added that the construction of a third bridge over the Danube should be accelerated, and agreements should also be reached for a fourth and fifth bridge.

More than 3,500 participants from over 30 countries are attending the five-day Green Transition Forum 5.0 at Sofia Event Centre, which runs until June 20. The forum gathers EU commissioners, ministers, MEPs, Nobel Prize laureates and top executives from global companies to discuss a range of topics including energy security, sustainable finance, digitalization, and innovation in the CEE region. Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov, former Italian prime minister Enrico Letta, and Professor Daron Acemoglu—2024 Nobel laureate in Economics—are among the keynote speakers.

/RY/