Brussels, 08/02/2000 (Agence Europe) - Romania's Transport Minister and Bulgaria's Finance Minister agreed on Monday evening in Brussels (where they met at the initiative of the Coordinator of the Stability Pact for the Balkans, Bodo Homboch, and the Commissioner for enlargement Günter Verheugen) on the principal elements that could settle the long-standing dispute over the construction of a new bridge across the Danube. This problem has been an issue between Romania and Bulgaria for nearly ten years.
In the document signed in Brussels, the two parties state their agreement on the approximate site where the bridge between the two countries should be built. The exact location must be decided by the two countries by 20 March at the latest. Technical preparation of the project must begin in May of this year and construction will begin as soon thereafter as possible. The project is expected to cost some EUR 190 million. The possibility of co-financing under the Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe will be discussed in late March in the appropriate bodies.