TIRANA, Feb 18 /ATA/ – Bulgaria’s Deputy Foreign Minister Nikolay Pavlov said on Wednesday that transport connectivity has become a strategic imperative in the current geopolitical environment, describing Corridor VIII as a catalyst for logistics and
infrastructure investment across the region.
Speaking at the Corridor VIII ministerial meeting in Tirana, attended by Albania’s Foreign Minister Elisa Spiropali, Italy’s Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, North Macedonia’s Foreign Minister Timčo Mucunski and Romania’s Ambassador to Albania Octavian Şerban, Pavlov said trans-European transport development was among the European
Union’s most strategic projects.
“Railways, roads, ports, airports, power interconnection lines and digital infrastructure are not merely technical systems – they are the backbone of economic power,” Pavlov said. “In this context, Corridor VIII must be assessed in terms of its political and strategic importance, its regional economic impact and its defence dimension.”
He said the Corridor shortens the distance between the Adriatic and Black seas and represents a multimodal link connecting the Western Balkans with the broader region.
Pavlov noted that under a 2024 EU regulation, the Durrës-Bari-Skopje segment was included in the Eastern Mediterranean corridor, calling it a strategic recognition at the European level.
He added that the next EU programming period should better reflect the need to develop cross-border transport connectivity to boost competitiveness and enable infrastructure projects such as Corridor VIII.
Pavlov said Bulgaria and North Macedonia had signed an intergovernmental agreement last year on implementing a cross-border instrument to technically connect their railway systems, bringing the Skopje-Sofia rail link closer to completion as a cornerstone of
Corridor VIII.
He also said modernisation works were under way on the section towards North Macedonia, with tender procedures completed for the construction of a missing 2.4-kilometre stretch near the border crossing.
Corridor VIII is essential for reducing transport and transit costs and increasing regional competitiveness, Pavlov said, adding that it is seen as a catalyst for investment in logistics, transport, industrial zones, energy interconnections and digital infrastructure,
while helping attract public-private partnerships and European funding instruments.
