By 2028, the railway tunnel between Bulgaria and the Republic of Macedonia should be ready

Ilian Ivanov Government

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Grozdan Karadjov told journalists
The cross-border railway tunnel between Bulgaria and the Republic of North Macedonia should be ready by 2028, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport and Communications in resignation Grozdan Karadjov told journalists. He participated in the meeting of the parliamentary committee on foreign policy, at which the ratification of the Agreement between the governments of the two countries for the preparation, construction and operation of a cross-border railway tunnel, signed on November 6, 2025 in the village of Gyueshevo, was unanimously supported. 14 deputies voted "for".

This is a project that is very closely monitored by the European Commission, any of the countries from now on that shows unreasonable obstruction of this project will be considered an unreliable partner. This is a test for us, although we are a member of the EU, but it is an even bigger test for the Republic of North Macedonia, which is a candidate for EU membership, commented Karadjov. This is a joint project, not a little digging by both sides, but a whole joint project, which is managed by a joint committee. We have one tender, one contractor, one tunnel, explained the outgoing Deputy Prime Minister.

The tunnel will forever be managed by such a joint committee. The two sides will always have to pay some amount to maintain it, but it will be maintained jointly.

The Deputy Prime Minister expects the accompanying infrastructure to the border – the last 2.4 km – to be ready, with a streamlined organization, by the end of next year. That is, in 2027 we will have these 2.4 km, and when the tunnel is ready, we will only have to attach the last 400 m. That is our plan, Grozdan Karadjov also said.

The agreement aims to create a normative intergovernmental act with clear commitments and deadlines for the construction of the railway connection between the Republic of Bulgaria and the Republic of North Macedonia. The signing of an intergovernmental agreement for the construction of the tunnel facility is the result of the long-term efforts of the Republic of Bulgaria and the Ministry of Transport and Communications to implement the railway connection between Sofia and Skopje and the implementation of the strategically important Pan-European Transport Corridor VIII for the Bulgarian side, the proposal states in its explanatory memorandum.

The agreement regulates the obligations of the parties for the construction of a cross-border railway tunnel between the two countries in the border area of ​​the railway line, including the award of public contracts for construction and construction supervision, as well as the efforts to ensure grant aid for the construction of the facility, which should meet the requirements of the EU and NATO for this type of infrastructure.

It is envisaged that a preliminary schedule for the preparation and construction of the tunnel will be prepared within a short period of time after the entry into force of the agreement, to be presented to the European Commission and the financing European banking institutions. The agreement provides for the establishment of a joint committee to coordinate all activities and resolve issues related to the construction, operation and maintenance of the site based on the respective decisions of both parties, the explanatory memorandum also states.

With Fed independence in crosshairs, will Supreme Court back Trump again?

Ilian Ivanov Government

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WASHINGTON, Dec 13 (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court's conservative justices appear ready to endorse President Donald Trump's power to fire a regulatory agency official despite job protections given by Congress. But they have signaled reluctance to give him similar authority over the Federal Reserve in a major case set to be argued next month.
The court, which has a 6-3 conservative majority, in May cited what it called the U.S. central bank's unique qualities that distinguish it from other agencies also created by Congress to be independent of direct presidential control. But Trump nevertheless moved to fire Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook in August, setting in motion a major legal battle over presidential powers that imperils the Fed's longstanding independence.

President Radev Holds Consultations with MECh, Discusses Possible Early Parliamentary Elections

Ilian Ivanov Elections

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President Rumen Radev held government-forming consultations here on Thursday with representatives of MECh, following the resignation of the Cabinet, announced by Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov and unanimously accepted by Parliament last week.

During the consultations, MECh Chair Radostin Vasilev reported that his party sees no possibility of forming a functioning government through "political betrayals". He specified that the current government had been formed through major political betrayals by There Is Such a People and BSP - United Left, which led to discontent among a large part of their voters. He said that this parliament cannot produce an Election Code that guarantees fair elections, because the majority in it is not what the electorate requires.

Vasilev referred to GERB Chair Boyko Borissov and MRF - New Beginning Floor Leader Delyan Peevski as a part of the same organized crime circle, which should be eliminated.

The leader of MECh reported that his party has prepared laws to amend and supplement the Election Code in relation to machine voting, because paper voting is more susceptible to manipulation in Bulgaria.

During these consultations, Radev said that for the people outside parliament what happened with the state budget is a mystery. He asked MECh to explain what happened with the budget on Wednesday, since the events from that day are "difficult to explain with the tools of logic and ideology".

Bulgarians protest widespread graft and call for a fair election

Ilian Ivanov Elections

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SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) — Tens of thousands of people on Thursday filled the streets of Bulgaria’s capital and other major cities in the country, calling for a fair election and an independent judiciary able to effectively fight widespread corruption.

The demonstrations in Sofia and elsewhere came after last week’s protests sparked by the government’s budget plans for higher taxes and spending increases. The government later withdrew the contentious 2026 budget plan, but eventually bowed to people’s demands and stepped down.

The latest developments are leaving the European Union member country without a budget for next year and without a regular government, just before Bulgaria is set to join the eurozone.

Now, President Rumen Radev is expected to appoint a caretaker government and set the date for the next early vote — the eighth since 2021.

On Thursday, people insisted on fair and free elections rather than polls compromised by vote manipulation, vote-buying and falsification of election results as in the previous campaign.

At the core of the protesters’ frustrations is the role of Bulgarian politician and oligarch Delyan Peevski, who has been sanctioned by both the United States and the United Kingdom, and whose MRF New Beginning party backed the outgoing coalition led by the GERB party of former Prime Minister Boyko Borissov.

The Balkan country of 6.4 million people is due to make the switch from its national currency, the lev, to the euro on Jan. 1, to become the eurozone’s 21st member. Bulgaria joined the EU in 2007.

 

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