Balgarianovinite.com Transport Minister Grozdan Karadjov proposed including the strategic Ruse-Gorna Oryahovitsa railway section in the Connecting Europe Facility annex for 2028-2034 at an EU transport ministers’ meeting in Brussels, the Transport and Communications Ministry’s press service said here Thursday.
The section is described as key for cross-border connectivity, military mobility and the development of the Baltic Sea–Black Sea–Aegean Sea European corridor.
The proposal for the Connecting Europe Facility in the next EU financial framework envisages EUR 51 billion for cross-border infrastructure and military mobility projects. Bulgaria has already secured the inclusion of the Sofia–Skopje section as a key stretch of Corridor 8 in the list of projects under this instrument.
Karadjov also drew attention to the importance of the legislative proposals in the Roadworthiness Package for road safety.
“We support the introduction of higher and harmonized European requirements, especially for vehicles subject to mandatory periodic technical inspections, as well as for odometer data. This is an important tool in the fight against fraud,” Karadjov said. He recalled that Bulgaria already maintains a national register of odometer readings for all vehicles.
He noted that Bulgaria has introduced annual technical inspections for all motor vehicles, including those over 10 years old – a measure that goes beyond the requirements in the texts adopted on Thursday.
In a discussion on the dimensions and maximum permissible masses of certain road vehicles, Karadjov emphasized Bulgaria’s role as a transit country and stressed that the existing limits must not be exceeded in order to protect road infrastructure and ensure safety.
The Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) is the EU’s main fund for trans-European transport, energy and digital networks. In the 2028–2034 budget proposal, about EUR 51 billion is earmarked under CEF for transport and military mobility, focusing on completing missing TEN-T cross‑border links and upgrading dual‑use infrastructure. The new Baltic Sea–Black Sea–Aegean Sea European Transport Corridor will create a continuous North–South rail and road backbone via Ukraine and Moldova for both civilian and defence needs.
Pan-European Corridor 8 is a key east–west transport axis in the EU’s TEN-T and Global Gateway frameworks, linking Adriatic ports in Albania with Black Sea ports in Bulgaria via North Macedonia and Sofia. The Sofia–Skopje railway is one of the last missing links and is strategic for integrating the Western Balkans into the EU market and improving regional military and economic mobility. Over half of Corridor 8’s rail length is in Bulgaria, with only a short cross-border section near Gyueshevo–Deve Bair still to be built, for which EU grant support is prioritized.
The Roadworthiness Package covers EU rules on periodic roadworthiness tests and roadside inspections. In April 2025, the Commission proposed revisions to improve road safety, reduce emissions and combat fraud, including tighter checks for older vehicles, specific rules for electric and driver-assistance systems, and better recording and sharing of odometer data. The proposal responds to evidence that current intervals and uneven enforcement limit effectiveness and aims to harmonize minimum EU requirements while allowing stricter national rules. Bulgaria Pushes to Add Ruse–Gorna Oryahovitsa Rail Link to EU Funding List 2025 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2025-12-04 19:39:15 Latest news World news Country news Most important news latest news most important latest of the day Justice Petar Nizamov Feathers Petar Nizamov- Feathers Justice bg iustitia.bg iustitia iusticia usticia investigation Burgas Bulgaria news news of the last hour news of the day news of today Bulgaria news The news from Bulgaria blitz news top news most important most commented latest news Boyko Borisov news weather coronavirus news news weather facebook youtube facebook instagram news today news of the last minutes news today today news news bg news leading news hot news bg news site for news all news news bg news of the last hour latest latest news bg news of today news today news today news of the last hour latest news today news bg news news 24 hours news vesti bg novini news world bird bg bivol bg bivol trud bg novini latest news today novinite bg news hello bulgaria political party coat of arms delyan peevski scandalous Bulgarian National Television Free Europe Television scandal exclusive live tv live right now tv tv online tv program bg live now tv news online tv online live court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas district court Burgas appellate court Burgas prosecutor Burgas prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev Prosecutor Geshev Tsatsarov Ministry of Internal Affairs Burgas ODMR Burgas ODPR Burgas police Burgas district police Burgas prosecutor Tsatsarov SGS cases Varna court chairman of the SGS court decisions on civil cases decisions on cases Plovdiv court decision of the court decisions cases Varna court criminal cases district district court decisions work in the court SGS chairman of the SGS judges Sofia court post judges Plovdiv court Plovdiv judges Plovdiv Supreme Court Inspectorate Supreme Court Supreme Judicial Council lawyer lawyer criminal cases lawyer civil cases lawyer marriage cases lawyer administrative criminal law criminal process civil law civil process administrative law constitutional law