Bulgaria has begun negotiations with Greece to acquire a stake in the port of Kavala. This was stated by Minister of Transport and Communications Georgi Peev during the Sofia Economic Forum.
“Maybe this will be news, but we intend to negotiate with the Greek side and have already started negotiations to acquire shares in the port of Kavala“, Peev said.
The minister did not specify what size of stake is being discussed, which Bulgarian company could participate in the possible deal or when the negotiations are expected to progress.
The interest in Kavala dates back to 2023.
Bulgarian interest in the port is not new. In July 2023, then-Prime Minister Nikolay Denkov announced that the country wanted to participate with up to 20% in the Kavala concession. At that time, it was discussed that the participation would be realized through a Bulgarian state-owned company.
Since then, the concession procedure in Greece has advanced. In January 2025, the 40-year sub-concession of the commercial terminal “Philip II“ began. The contract gives SARISA the right to use, manage, maintain and develop the multifunctional terminal at the port.
Therefore, at this stage it is not clear whether the current talks are a continuation of the intention to participate up to 20%, announced in 2023, or whether another mechanism for acquiring a share is being discussed.
The port is part of a wider transport plan
Peev put the negotiations in the context of plans for transport connectivity between Bulgaria, Greece and Romania. On September 29, the three countries signed an action plan for 25 strategic projects with a total value of around 22.8 billion euros.
The document includes rail and road connections, bridges over the Danube and transport routes between the Aegean Sea, the Danube region and the Black Sea. The European Commission lists among the priorities the railway connection between Alexandroupolis and Svilengrad, the modernization of the Giurgiu-Ruse bridge and the preparation of a new road and railway bridge between the two cities.
“The easy part was here. The difficult part is ahead“, Peev stated regarding the implementation of the agreed projects.
According to him, Bulgaria will seek to accelerate the preparations for the new bridges with Romania. The most advanced project is for a combined facility at Ruse-Giurgevo, and the country is planning at least two more bridges over the Danube.
A possible participation in the port of Kavala would expand Bulgaria's access to a transport route to the Aegean Sea, but the specific parameters of the negotiations and the future investor have not yet been announced.
Sources: ekathimerini.com, portseurope.com, eualive.net