Nationwide Strike Grips Greece: 24 Hours of Transport Paralysis
A nationwide strike in Greece has brought the country's transport networks to a standstill, affecting railways, ferries, buses, taxis, and more
The new Makaza border crossing point on the Bulgarian-Greek border is going to be officially opened on Monday, September 9.
On September 3, Greece sent an official note to Bulgaria's Foreign Ministry to confirm to opening date.
The ribbon-cutting ceremony starts at 11 am and will be attended by the district governors of Kardzhali and East Macedonia and Thrace.
However, the official inauguration ceremony will take place at a later stage and will be attended by the Prime Ministers of Bulgaria and Greece.
There will be joint control at the Makaza border crossing, with Bulgarian and Greek border police officers working shifts.
The crossing can be used by vehicles weighting less than 3.5 metric tons, which was Greece's request. Athens insisted that it is open only for cars and buses, while Sofia asked that heavy long vehicles, up to 5 tons, were also allowed to pass through.
It is expected that the crossing will boost tourist trips between Bulgaria and Greece, the development of border regions in both countries, and will significantly alleviate traffic at the other border crossing points on the Bulgarian-Greek border.
The Ruse-Makaza road linking Romania and Greece through Central Bulgaria is supposed to be part of the Pan-European Transport Corridor No. 9 leading from Helsinki, the Baltic States, Moscow, Kiev, and Bucharest to the Greek port of Alexandroupolis on the Aegean.
However, the international transport corridor, which harbors the potential to stimulate the development of much of Bulgaria's central regions, did not function until now because the Makaza Pass in the Rhodope Mountains on the Bulgarian-Greek border remained closed.
This is in spite of numerous promises in the past five years by senior Bulgarian and Greek politicians that a border crossing point there will be opened "next year."
The delay in the opening of the Makaza Pass, which is some 20 km north of Greece's Aegean coastline, has been consistently attributed to the slow construction of the road on the Greek side of the border. When it becomes fully operational, the Ruse-Makaza Pass road will provide the shortest route from Romania's capital Bucharest (and much of Central and Eastern Europe, for that matter) to the Aegean / Mediterranean.
On Bulgaria's territory the Ruse-Makaza Pass road (section of Pan-European Transport Corridor No. 9) goes through Ruse, Byala, Veliko Tarnovo, Dryanovo, Gabrovo, the Shipka Pass (Balkan Mountain), Kazanlak, Stara Zagora, Dimitrovgrad, Haskovo, Kardzhali, and Momchilgrad to reach Makaza. It is dubbed Road I-5 (E-85) for Bulgarian government purposes.
In 2011, a long-anticipated decision of the Bulgarian government to make the Ruse-Makaza road a "priority project" was justified with the need to absorb EU funds under Operational Program "Transport", which would allow faster administrative procedures for investments, land expropriation, and construction. The Bulgarian government plans to turn the road in question into a "high-speed way" (with four lanes).
The actual realization on European Transport Corridor No. 9, however, also depends on the realization of one of the most-talked about infrastructure projects in Bulgaria in the past 20 years – the construction of a tunnel under the Shipka Pass in the Stara Planina Mountain (Balkan Mountain), which is supposed to improve greatly the transport links between Northern and Southern Bulgaria along the Ruse-Makaza route.
Until now, Bulgaria and Greece shared four border crossing points: Kulata-Promachonas, Ilinden-Exochi, Svilengrad-Ormenion, and Zlatograd-Thermes (Xanti).
We need your support so Novinite.com can keep delivering news and information about Bulgaria! Thank you!
As the May holidays mark the onset of sea tourism, Bulgarians and foreigners preparing for their annual getaways are facing a stark reality: trips this year will come with a heftier price tag
Sofia, the vibrant capital of Bulgaria, is experiencing a surge in its economic landscape, surpassing the average European standard of living, according to senior researcher Peter Ganev from the Institute for Market Economics
Mounting uncertainty looms over Bulgaria's anticipated entry into the Eurozone, with officials cautioning that the prospect may be delayed amidst persisting inflation challenges
In an unexpected turn, Bulgaria and Turkey have been notably absent from the list of the ten cheapest European summer destinations for British tourists
According to the latest data released by the National Statistical Institute, Bulgarian household incomes experienced a remarkable surge in 2023, reaching an average of BGN 10,846 per household member.
The National Statistical Institute's latest report unveils a marginal annual increase in the income of Bulgarians in 2023 compared to their expenses, marking a reversal of the trend observed in 2022
UN Happiness Report: Bulgaria's Astonishing Leap in Rankings
Bulgaria: 3 Regions With Lowest Life Expectancy - EU Report 2022