Macedonia loses €60.77 million EU grant for Corridor 8 railway to Bulgaria
Opposition parties in Macedonia – the Democratic Union for Integration (BDI) and the Democratic Alternative (DUI) – allege that the government failed to secure a €60.77 million grant from the European Union’s IPA programme. The money was earmarked for the third section of the Corridor 8 railway linking Macedonia with Bulgaria.
According to the parties, the 2024 tender for the project was cancelled and the construction contract was not signed within the required deadline, meaning the grant is no longer available. They cite official documents submitted by the government to parliament as evidence and quote BDI spokesperson Bekim Rexhepi: “The loss of €60.77 million is not a political claim; it is documented in official acts.”
The grant formed part of a larger €560 million financing package for the corridor, which also includes €175 million loans from the European Investment Bank, €175 million loans from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and a €149 million grant from the WBIF. The opposition warns that the missed funding represents a lost historic opportunity for economic development, infrastructure modernization, and NATO‑related strategic benefits, and they demand answers on whether citizens will have to cover the shortfall from the state budget.
Entities: Bekim Rexhepi · Corridor 8 railway · Corridor VIII · Democratic Union for Integration · Democratic Union for Integration (BDI) · European Investment Bank · European Union · Macedonia · North Macedonia
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.
- [● 4 SOURCES] The total financing package for the Corridor 8 project was about €560 million, including €175 million loans from the European Investment Bank, €175 million loans from the European Bank for Development
- [● 4 SOURCES] The Corridor 8 railway is described as a pan‑European corridor and part of the EU strategic transport network with significance for NATO.
- [● 4 SOURCES] The Macedonian government failed to secure a €60.77 million EU IPA grant for the third section of the Corridor 8 railway to Bulgaria.
- [● 4 SOURCES] Opposition parties BDI and DUI accuse the government of responsibility for the loss and demand answers.
- [● 4 SOURCES] The grant was intended for construction of the third section of the railway corridor to Bulgaria.
- [● 4 SOURCES] The 2024 tender for the project was cancelled and the construction contract was not signed within the deadline.
- [● 4 SOURCES] There is concern that citizens may have to cover the €60.77 million shortfall from the state budget.
- [● 4 SOURCES] The loss of the grant is documented in official acts submitted by the government to parliament.