North Macedonia's PM: Corridor 8 Project Infeasible, Urges Funds to Bypass Bulgaria and Upgrade Corridor 10

The Republic of North Macedonia's plan for utilizing funds from the EU's Western Balkans growth initiative was prepared two weeks ago, and the country is now awaiting approval from the European Commission, according to Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski in an interview with Telma TV, reported by BTA.

Mickoski criticized some of the projects initiated by the previous government, citing the railway line to Bulgaria, a segment of transport Corridor 8, as an example. He argued that this project is unfeasible, describing it as ending in a dead end or a half-tunnel without a clear continuation towards the Black Sea. Mickoski warned of potential sanctions up to 750 million euros if the project is not addressed properly.

He suggested reallocating the funds to modernize the railway line on Corridor 10 instead, which would enhance the speed of trains from 30 km/h to 100 km/h. Mickoski proposed increasing the budget for Macedonian Railways - Infrastructure and acquiring five new locomotives to improve train operations across the country.

Transport Minister Alexander Nikoloski also emphasized the importance of Corridor 10, which links Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, North Macedonia, and Hungary with Greece. He mentioned plans to negotiate with donors of the Corridor 8 project to redirect funds towards Corridor 10.

In North Macedonia, the eastern section of the Corridor 8 railway, intended to connect with Bulgaria, has been financed through a pre-accession grant from the EU's "Financial Framework for the Western Balkans" and loans from the EBRD and the EIB. The tender procedure for this project concluded in the last week of June.