The Bulgarian government has sent the Republic of North Macedonia a draft agreement for the preparation, construction and operation of a cross-border railway tunnel that will connect the two countries, the Ministry of Transport and Communications said on Tuesday.

The proposal suggests that both governments make clear and specific commitments to the construction of the tunnel, which is a key component of the Pan-European Transport Corridor 8.

Once signed, the agreement, prepared by the Ministry of Transport, will address the technical, financial, legal and organizational aspects of the tunnel construction, in accordance with the laws of both countries and European regulations.

The countries will agree on who will be responsible for building the tunnel, managing public tenders and supervising the construction. Railway authorities from Bulgaria and North Macedonia will set up joint working groups to prepare the necessary documents for the tender procedures.

Within three months of the agreement entering into force, the two countries must submit a joint construction timeline to the European Commission and the financing institutions. They will work to secure EU and NATO funding for the tunnel and the associated rail infrastructure, following the standards of the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T).

Bulgaria is ready to start negotiations with North Macedonia on the proposed texts and proceed with the signing of the agreement as soon as possible, the Ministry of Transport has stressed./BTA-KosovaPress