During discussions in Sofia, that included Macedonian and EU representatives, the countries agreed to the key Macedonian demand – that the challenging railroad tunnel under the Deve Bair border crossing is built jointly by Macedonia and Bulgaria.

Macedonian Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandar Nikoloski stopped implementation of the much criticized project to build the final stretch of the railroad on the Macedonian side, citing the fact that there is no corresponding project on the Bulgarian side and it would leave the railroad in a dead-end tunnel underneath the Osogovo mountains.

After talks at the level of state secretaries and railroad executives in Sofia, it was decided that the two countries issue a joint bid to build the tunnel that will go to a single company. Additionally, Macedonia will review the current project for the third section of the railroad, where, as Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski said, we received bids only from “unserious” companies. Macedonian representatives at the meeting underlined that the country is not backing out from the goal to have a railroad link to Bulgaria, and sees it as part of the European wide transport network, but that it must be done right.