Bulgaria urgently needs another bridge across the Danube and a Silistra–Călărași connection

Bulgaria expects more active development of the Danube transport axis and urgently needs the construction of another bridge across the Danube on the border with Romania. A separate priority should be the development of a transport connection between the Bulgarian city of Silistra and the Romanian city of Călărași.

This was stated by Bulgarian President Iliana Iotova during the opening of the South-East European Cooperation Process Summit, held in Sofia on 10 June.

“Bulgaria has high expectations for the development of the Danube axis. We urgently need another bridge across the Danube between Bulgaria and Romania, as well as a Silistra–Călărași connection,” Iliana Iotova emphasised.

The summit marked the final stage of Bulgaria’s Chairmanship-in-Office of the South-East European Cooperation Process. During the meeting, Sofia handed over the chairmanship of the regional format to Romania. The summit brought together heads of delegations from the countries of the region and representatives of the Regional Cooperation Council.

The South-East European Cooperation Process brings together 13 participants: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia and Türkiye. The format was launched in 1996 as a regional platform for political dialogue, strengthening good-neighbourly relations and developing practical cooperation.

In her speech, Iliana Iotova stressed that cooperation among the countries of South-East Europe should acquire a more clearly defined practical dimension. Among the key priorities, she highlighted the development of a regional security system, as well as stronger energy, transport and digital connectivity.

The Bulgarian President also drew particular attention to the growing importance of the Black Sea region. According to her, the war in Ukraine has demonstrated that the Black Sea can no longer be regarded as a peripheral area of European security.

Comment by the Institute for Danube Research

Vitaliy Barvinenko — Director of the Institute of Danube Research:

“The statement by the Bulgarian President demonstrates that the development of transport infrastructure along the Danube is increasingly viewed not only as an economic objective, but also as a security priority. The region needs additional crossings, alternative routes and modern logistics hubs capable of ensuring the resilience of transport flows during periods of crisis.

This process is also important for Ukraine. The development of the Danube axis, including new bridges and the Silistra–Călărași connection, could strengthen transport connectivity in the Lower Danube region, expand access to Romanian and Bulgarian infrastructure, and create additional routes for trade with European Union countries.

At the same time, individual infrastructure projects should be integrated into a coherent regional policy. Such a policy should cover road and rail access routes, ports, ferry crossings, border infrastructure and the coordination of transport solutions among Ukraine, Romania, Bulgaria and Moldova.”