Transport links between Bulgaria, Greece and Romania can only develop through joint projects and shared action by the three countries, Bulgarian transport and communications minister Georgi Peev said.

New bridges over the Danube are the top priority. Along about 300 km there are only two now, and Peev says at least two or three more are needed. Bulgaria is ready to talk with Romania once its new government is formed.

Peev opened the international forum "Vertical Corridor. Prospects for Transport Development in the Balkans. The Role of Bulgaria, Greece and Romania" by video link from Athens. He is in the Greek capital with his counterpart Christos Dimas. The organisers are the Bulgarian-Greek Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Bulgarian Aviation Industry Association and the Bulgaria-Romania Bilateral Chamber of Commerce.

Peev says the north-south link has two sides: more travel and freight, and also security in the region. The three countries must work hard for better transport links and clear the bottlenecks along them. There are other infrastructure problems too, and the three must solve them together.

Many memoranda have been signed over the years, Peev said, but now concrete steps and results are needed. Separate national projects do not give the links the connection they need.

Peev believes the European Commission and the European Parliament fully back joint initiatives. He expects money for the joint projects in the EU's next multi-year budget.

An action plan with specific projects and options for EU funding was signed at the forum, held at the Sofia Balkan Palace hotel.