01.06.2020
Prime Minister Boyko Borissov and Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić held a bilateral meeting at the Sofia Airport before leaving for their joint inspection of the progress made on the construction of the Europe Motorway and the Balkan Stream. Prime Minister Borissov and President Vučić expressed their confidence that, despite the difficulties caused by the COVID-19 epidemic, the accelerated implementation of projects of great importance will continue, not only for the two countries, but also for the entire region. Prime Minister Borissov pointed out that despite the coronavirus, work on the construction of the Europe Motorway and the Balkan Stream has not been stopped in Bulgaria.
"With the completion of the highway, the journey between Bulgaria and Serbia will be extremely fast and easy. "The construction of the Europe Motorway is important not only for our two countries, but is also crucial for the exchange of goods between Europe and Asia," said Prime Minister Borissov. The Prime Minister focused on the progress in the construction of the section between Dragoman and Slivnitsa. "We are working hard and I expect nearly 17km of the highway between Sofia and the border with Serbia to be ready by the end of the year," the Prime Minister said.
The Europe Motorway will connect the Kalotina border checkpoint and the Sofia Ring Road. It is 48 km long and is divided into three parts. The construction of the first two sections, which are currently being worked on, includes the modernization of the existing first-class road I-8 between Kalotina and Slivnitsa. The third section from Slivnitsa to the connection with the Northern Speed Tangent is 16 km long and will pass along a new route.
During the meeting, Prime Minister Borissov also briefed the Serbian President on the progress made in the construction of the Balkan Stream. The gas pipeline is 474 km long and will pass through the lands of 11 districts in our country. For the overall implementation of the project for expansion of the gas transmission infrastructure from the Bulgarian-Turkish to the Bulgarian-Serbian border, two compressor stations will be built - CS "Rasovo" and CS "Nova Provadia". They will serve to increase the pressure along the Balkan Stream route. "The project is extremely important for energy security of the entire Balkan region. In a little while, we will see the scale of the construction together," Prime Minister Borissov told President Vučić.
After the inspection of the Europe Motorway and the Balkan Stream, Prime Minister Borissov and President Vučić will continue discussing topics of mutual interest for the two countries in Veliko Tarnovo, where the two will be holding a working lunch.
