The Black Sea Highway will be key to Ukraine's recovery

The Black Sea Motorway and the Odessa – Alexandroupolis railway line will be key transport corridors in Ukraine's recovery. These projects will shorten transit times, stimulate intermodality, and attract significant investment in the construction of modern infrastructure necessary for sustainable economic growth.

This became clear from the words of Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov, who took part in the IV High-Level Conference on the Recovery of Ukraine, held in Rome.

The Prime Minister also highlighted the opportunities available to Bulgarian companies to participate in Ukraine's post-war recovery. According to him, they have the expertise and potential to participate in a wide range of projects, from energy, shipping, and port security to sustainable solutions for climate change.

Talks are coming up with neighboring countries to coordinate national initiatives as part of a more ambitious regional recovery plan.

According to Zhelyazkov, Ukraine will need more than 10 years and approximately half a trillion euros to recover from the Russian war. This amount includes the energy system, transport arteries, water supply, and sewerage.

The prime minister stressed that human life cannot be measured in money, but only financial resources provide a real measure of the scale of the disaster. Zhelyazkov pointed out that without the involvement of private capital and a clear investment framework, creating the necessary infrastructure will be particularly difficult.

The Black Sea region – North-South connections

Bulgaria and Romania are the only European Union countries located in the Black Sea basin, which places them at the center of regional stability and security. Together with Turkey, Georgia, and Ukraine, they must ensure the reliable operation of energy networks, gas pipelines, and data transmission systems across the Black Sea.

This will strengthen the link between Europe and Asia and make the region a strategic hub for intermodal transport," the prime minister added.

Among the key initiatives is a direct railway line between Odessa on the Black Sea and Alexandroupolis on the Aegean Sea. According to the prime minister, this project will not only shorten transit times but also open up new opportunities for the export of goods. The inclusion of Romania in this corridor will turn it into a European transport route with strong investment potential.

Another strategic project connects Turkey, Ukraine, and Bulgaria through combined transport of goods by sea and land. The focus is on the development of ports and intermodal terminals that allow for quick transition between different modes of transport – ship, rail, and road. The Black Sea motorway, which has been stalled for years, will also play a role here.

The key Black Sea motorway

We would like to remind you that last year, former regional minister Violeta Koritarova commented that a decision on the motorway's environmental impact assessment is expected this year. Only then could the other procedures related to its construction begin.

The motorway is planned to be about 113 kilometers long, starting at the junction with the Hemus motorway in the area of the village of Slunchevo, crossing the Beloslavsko Lake, and connecting with the Trakia motorway in the Vetren district of Burgas.

We would like to remind you that at the end of 2022 the motorway, together with the section between Gyueshevo and Dupnitsa from the Rila motorway, which have been stuck in one place for years, received access to EU funding after Transport Corridor 8 was included in the priority Trans-European Transport (TEN-T) network.

In May 2023 in the Economic.bg podcast, the chairman of the Balkan Transport and Infrastructure Forum, Petar Mutafchiev, commented that its construction should be viewed in a broader context, namely the connection between the Turkish and Romanian borders, as the motorway is part of the larger Black Sea Ring project. It is also part of the so-called “Trimore” route, which is linked to NATO's defense capabilities.

At the beginning of 2024, Chief of Defense Admiral Emil Efimov announced in an interview with BNT that the motorway was becoming a priority for the Alliance. According to him, Transport Corridor VIII Durres-Varna and the construction of the corridor from Constanta to Thessaloniki are of great importance. This is where the Black Sea motorway comes in.

The Zhelyazkov cabinet began to make more serious requests for funding for the motorway at the beginning of this year in the context of Ukraine's recovery.

Translated with DeepL.