Prime Minister Rumen Radev
Prime Minister Rumen Radev said Bulgaria’s transport ambitions cannot be achieved through state funding alone, warning that major infrastructure projects will require alternative financing models, including concessions.
Speaking at a national meeting between central and local authorities at the National Palace of Culture, he stressed that municipalities are essential to national development and regional stability. According to him, the country cannot be strong if its regions remain underdeveloped.
He outlined the government’s priorities in improving national connectivity, including the completion of key highways such as Hemus and Struma, as well as the Vidin-Botevgrad and Ruse-Veliko Tarnovo routes. He also highlighted the need for stronger north-south transport links, stretching from Vidin to Kulata and from Ruse to Makaza, along with development of a Black Sea corridor.
However, Radev warned that the scale of investment required exceeds the state’s long-term fiscal capacity. “We will really have to decide together with you to what extent we will rely on concessions, because the state does not have the resources to build these highways on its own with public finances in the next several decades, we simply do not have this resource,” he said.
