On the need for connectivity and a new strategic approach to building road infrastructure in the Balkans (original) (raw)
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Bulgaria in the Transport Systems of Europe
The contemporary development of Southeastern Europe predetermines the necessity of the existence of adequate transport connections. The linear infrastructure of Bulgaria is a complicated system, determining the socioeconomic and geodemographic development of the country, but also determined by the level of its condition. The political-economic dualism substantiates the variability and adaptiveness of the attitude to transport activity conditions. The Bulgarian geopolitical space is a dynamic area. Its fundamental frame is the transport network, predetermined by the requirements for adequate valorization of the political-geographical position of Bulgaria. The necessities of utilization of the European transport corridors that tangent or cross the country have been analyzed. Some variants for tracing of the Pan-European corridors have also been proposed. The geopolitical advantages of each one of them have been pointed out and analyzed through the prism of the political-geographical assessment and analysis. The possible socioeconomic effect of the transformation of the territory of Bulgaria into an active integration zone has also been discussed. Some activities for preventing Bulgaria from turning into a European transport enclave have been proposed. The purpose of the research has been achieved with the help of different research methods, including system and complex approach, situation and comparative analyses and others.
Possibilities for the construction of a parallel route of the European transport corridor No 9 through Romania, Bulgaria, and Greece , 2023
The Bulgarian state is significantly behind in the development of its strategic road infrastructure. This circumstance is complemented by the deteriorated state of the already-built infrastructure in the Bulgarian state. There is a need to change the policy philosophy for managing and maintaining the strategic infrastructure in Bulgaria. It is necessary to strongly link this policy with the regional development policy, due to the similar objectives they must achieve. They are aimed at bringing Bulgarian regions closer together, and their economic and regional development based on improved connectivity between them. Achieving all this, however, is hampered by a significant deficit in the system. There is a lack of connectivity and development of the transport axes in the North-South direction. In this regard, the authors set as their main objective to analyze and assess the possibilities for the construction of a parallel route of the European transport corridor No. 9 through Romania, Bulgaria, and Greece, which includes the construction of a tunnel between the town of Troyan and the village of Karnare in the central part of the Balkan Mountains. The implementation of this project will bring economic, social, transport, and financial benefits to the Bulgarian state. The construction of the project ensures connectivity between the Balkan countries, the formation of a single European market, stimulating the development of Northern Bulgaria, and a targeted impact on the North and South-Central planning regions.
Contemporary State of the Transport System in Bulgaria
- International Journal of Scientific and Management Research, Volume 5, Issue 3 (March) 2022, 2022
The movement of people, goods and information has always been one of the main components of human societies. Modern economic processes are associated with a significant increase in mobility and higher levels of accessibility. Although this trend can be traced back to the Industrial Revolution, it accelerated significantly in the second half of the twentieth century, when trade was liberalized, economic clusters emerged, and the comparative advantages of global labor and resources began to be used more effectively. This article makes a modern analysis of the transport system in Bulgaria, considering the main modes of transport in quantitative and qualitative indicators ant the factors and features that form it.
Transport Policy to create a Western Balkans market: How to mirror the EU's experience
Athens: ATINER'S Conference Paper Series, No: TRA2019-2694., 2019
The creation of a United Europe continues to evolve. For the complete mosaic image called European Union (EU), the part of the Western Balkans still remains to be assembled. Last but not so simple step to attain final stage. This region is characterized as historically vulnerable, sensitive, mixed with many nationalities, similar but still different. Economically underdeveloped and vulnerable, socially unstable and politically aroused, the Western Balkans are still far from a stable European core. Gross domestic product (GDP) per capita in the Western Balkans, adjusted for purchasing power parity, is half that of eastern European EU countries, one-third that of southern EU members and a mere quarter of the richest EU members in western Europe. The question that imposes itself is: how to overcome those differences among Balkans countries, to complete the historical vision and final mosaic puzzle of European Union? We should look for the solution historically for several decades back when creating the United Europe model. Prosperous and contemporizing Europe began its vision with the creation of a common market. And the market gives its benefits only with its physical ties i.e. transport and communication links. Transport links between the countries of the Western Balkans, with all accompanying economic, political and administrative adjustments, can contribute to realizing the single market as crucial phase of development of a United Europe. Future hopes and views are focused on finalizing Pan-European transport corridors in the Western Balkan countries, through which the trade peaks will be strengthened, overcoming the decades-long problems and conflicts in this part of Europe, and to achieve the long-awaited model for a Common European Union. But we must be realistic enough to see that transport infrastructure is not some miraculous tool with which to solve a society's development problems. It is only one part of the story. Transport must work in union with national development programmes, physical planning, investment, economic and monetary policy, custom and legal regulations. But we must acknowledge that, in many respects, the quality and success of life of Balkan‟s citizens depends on the vitality and responsibility of implementation many structural changes. One of the crucial factors is still transport infrastructure. Keywords: Western Balkan, Regional cooperation, Common market, Transport policy, Transport corridor.
The railway ifrastructure of Bulgaria in the context of Balkan integration
1st Istanbul International Geography Congress Proceedings Book
At the beginning of the 21 st century-the era of communication-the role of transportation systems in the development of states began increasing, particularly in the Balkan states, which are situated on a crossroads between Central and Western Europe and the Middle East. However, the need for improved transit must be balanced with the need to safeguard nature by decreasing pollution and using alternative energy resources. The European Union (EU) is attempting to transfer freight from roads to water and rail systems, which are more efficient, thereby leading to an increased importance for rail transport that is becoming the basis of a combined approach toward transportation. The present research explores the significance of rail transport for the EU and its place in relation to other modes of transport as well as the development of the Bulgarian rail system in brief, its connections with the systems of neighboring Balkan countries as part of the Pan-European transport corridors, and views on the development of intermodal transport in the Balkan region, with a focus on container transport.
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Integration of the Kosovo road network in the Pan-European network, means, first of all, to establish a road system and infrastructure that is in accordance with the requirements and standards of Pan-European road networks, and secondly, to use / promote the geographical position of the Kosovo main road network, making it able to meet the requirements of Pan-European road networks. Beside the fulfillment of the constructive/ technical / geometrical requirements towards the road infrastructure, the road transport network needs to guarantee to its users a high, uniform and continuous level of services, as well as road commodity and safety. In this thesis, there is also treated the position of the Kosovo road network, the main road directions of Kosovo and its compatibility with the needs of the Pan-European connection, the roads and corridors of the Balkans in context to the Pan-European corridors. In the continuation of the thesis, through the Software Trans CAD, there is conducted the analysis and the modeling of the Kosovo and Balkan road network, the analysis of the best connection and the shortest roads of Balkan countries. The identification of obstruction and the presentation of possibilities for the orientation of the flux of goods in a shorter road, in the function of reduced transport costs. The comparison of advantages and disadvantages of the existing roads (the eighth Pan-European corridor, the Tenth Pan-European Corridor, Via Egnatia etc), the economical sustainability and competition, the service quality, limitations (both natural, environmental / season or humane), transport capacities
2012
South East Europe (SEE ) is a region of high importance for the European Union (EU). Especially concerning Transport, this importance accrues from the fact that this region is a part of the European continent, but at the same time it is a discontinuity zone of the Trans-European Transport Networks (TEN-T). The European Transport Strategy for the non-EU regions has been expressed in the '90s through the Pan-European Corridors (PECs) and Areas (PETRAs) concept, but moreover, in this particular region it was more intensively expressed after 2001, with the definition of the SEE Strategic Network and of the SEE Core Transport Network, in view of the EU enlargements, which would cause the incorporation of entire PECs or parts of them into the TEN-T. Then, the European Commission (EC) initiated the revision of the PECs' concept, proposing five Priority Axes, and among them the South Eastern Axis that covers the SEE region, the Caucasus, Turkey, Middle East and Egypt. In this aspect...
Key issues in economic sustainability of road transport in bulgaria
2010
The stable economic conditions are fundamental for the sustainable development of transport. For this reason the contribution of transport, respectively road transport, to GDP per year and to the gross value added (GVA) are the main indicators for assessment of economic sustainability of road transport presented in the paper. Along with the indices such as share of transport in GDP, the consumers’ expenditure on transport, the volume of freight and passenger transport by modes, share of road transport, traffic volumes and transport infrastructure capacity, the analysis provides a base for the assessment of the economic sustainability of road transport in Bulgaria. Comparisons with the relative indicators in the EU-27 are made in order to clarify the Bulgarian position on the European market. Furthermore, the level of infrastructure provision is evaluated through the analysis of investments on new infrastructures. Thus the long term sustainability of road transport is assessed too an...