Athens, Sofia and Bucharest have signed a joint action plan to implement 25 priority transport projects worth around €22.8 billion, aimed at creating a continuous network linking the Aegean Sea, the Danube and the Black Sea, with further access to Moldova and Ukraine, reports greekcitytimes.com.
The plan was signed in Brussels on 29 September 2026. It follows on from a memorandum of understanding agreed by the governments of the three countries in December 2025 as part of the activities of the ‘Black Sea–Aegean Corridor’ platform. Of the 53 projects under consideration, 25 have been selected as priorities and are characterised by a high degree of readiness. Funding has been secured only partially. The largest proportion of projects relates to rail transport.
Priority works include the modernisation and electrification of the Ruse–Giurgiu–Bucharest railway line (scheduled for completion in 2030), as well as the construction of a new combined (road–rail) bridge across the Danube in the Ruse–Giurgiu area (scheduled for 2032).
The plan also includes the modernisation of the Burgas–Varna–Ruse line and design work for the construction of additional crossings over the Danube at Silistra–Călărași and Nicopol–Turnu Măgurele; funding for these measures is earmarked until 2034. On the Greek side, the plan covers the Alexandroupolis–Pition–Ormenio railway line, the Muries–Promachonas–Kulata section, and the rail link to the port of Thessaloniki.
The network is being developed along three main routes. The western route is to run from Athens and Thessaloniki via Promachonas and Kulata to Sofia, and then via Vidin–Calafat and Craiova to Bucharest. The central route will run from Thessaloniki and Alexandroupoli via Ormenio and Svilengrad to Ruse and Giurgiu, and on to Bucharest, with branches towards Moldova and Ukraine. Officials are positioning this project as a civil infrastructure project that also contributes to ensuring military mobility on NATO’s eastern flank, and as part of the broader ‘Baltic–Black Sea–Aegean Sea’ corridor within the EU’s Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T). The creation of such a land route would reduce dependence on the Turkish straits for the transport of goods between the Aegean region and the countries of Central and Eastern Europe.
In parallel, the US supports the development of the port of Elefsis (located west of Athens) as a logistical and commercial alternative to the port of Piraeus, in which the Chinese company COSCO holds a controlling stake. The US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) has approved a $125 million loan to ONEX for the acquisition, modernisation and expansion of shipyards in Elefsis.
In November 2025, following a meeting with Development Minister Takis Theodorikakos, US Ambassador Kimberly Gilfoyle stated that Washington was counting on Elefsina being used as a logistics hub. She also described COSCO’s acquisition of the port of Piraeus as a misguided move and highlighted the need to establish another port to counterbalance Chinese influence in the region. Amendments have been made to Greek legislation allowing ONEX to expand its scope of activities at this site, moving beyond shipbuilding to undertake commercial, logistics, port, energy and defence projects.
At present, Elefsis has not yet become a genuine competitor to Piraeus and is not officially included in the trilateral action plan; however, both projects are being discussed in the context of creating alternative transport corridors leading to the Balkans and Eastern Europe.
This story was translated with the assistance of artificial intelligence.The translation was also reviewed by the Logos Press editorial team.
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