DUI: Who will answer for the lost €60.77m EU IPA grant for the railway to Bulgaria?

DUI warned on Friday that North Macedonia has lost an EU IPA grant of €60.77 million earmarked for the construction of the third section of the Corridor 8 railway to Bulgaria, and called on the government to explain who will be held responsible for the loss.

Party officials said the money is no longer available because the tender published in 2024 was later cancelled and the construction contract was not signed within the required deadline, a fact they say appears in documents the government submitted to parliament.

“So, the loss of €60.77 million is not a political claim. It is a consequence documented in the official acts of the institutions. Citizens should know that at the end of 2023, when DUI was part of the government, the largest financial package for this project was secured, worth about €560 million: €175 million loan from the European Investment Bank; €175 million loan from the EBRD; €149 million grant from WBIF; €60.77 million IPA grant from the European Union. This was the result of the trust of European partners and of the work to make Corridor 8 a strategic priority of the state,” the party said.

Political responsibility and strategic stakes

DUI said it had repeatedly warned that the government would not treat Corridor 8 as a priority, and that postponements and shifts in priorities would have consequences. The party emphasised that the project goes beyond domestic infrastructure: Corridor 8 is a pan‑European route that links the Adriatic and the Black Sea, forms part of the EU's strategic transport network and has particular relevance for NATO.

“We said that delaying the project and changing priorities would have consequences. Today, unfortunately, citizens face the result — the loss of European funds. Corridor 8 is not just an infrastructure project. It is a pan‑European corridor, part of the European Union's strategic transport network and has particular importance for NATO. It connects the Adriatic to the Black Sea, strengthens regional security and creates new economic opportunities for our country,” DUI added.

The party accused the government’s handling of the procedures of creating serious doubts about its attitude toward euro‑Atlantic projects. “The delay of Corridor 8 and the loss of European funds create the impression that projects of importance for NATO and the European Union are being put in second place. Today we demand clear answers: Who will bear responsibility for the loss of €60.77 million? Why were the deadlines for project implementation not met? Will citizens now have to cover from the state budget what the European Union was prepared to finance as a grant?” the statement demanded.

DUI concluded that it will continue to defend the country’s euro‑Atlantic orientation and press for implementation of Corridor 8, arguing the project is a strategic national interest rather than the property of any single political party.

Photo: press material from the event