Bulgaria and Serbia are proceeding to the official signing of an agreement for the construction of a new, joint temporary border checkpoint, reports the Bulgarian National Radio.
The project for the duplicate facility, which on the Bulgarian side will be called „Kalotina 2“, and on Serbian territory it will be connected to point „Garden 2“, aims to solve the long-standing problem of kilometer-long traffic jams along the border.
Profile of the new border crossing
- Restricted access: The new point will be intended solely for the passage of persons (pedestrians) and cars. Heavy trucks will not be allowed through it.
- Seasonal Commitment: The facility will function with certain business hours and will be activated seasonally to handle peak loads during the summer months.
- Location: The checkpoint will be built in close proximity to the current route on the land of the village of Kalotina, Dragoman Municipality.
Organization and financing
Each of the two countries undertakes to build the necessary infrastructure entirely on its territory. The technical parameters, the exact intersection points of the routes and the connection of the road networks will be defined in detail by a specially created Mixed Expert Committee. The project now also has a positive opinion from the European Commission, which is key, as the Kalotina region constitutes an external border for the Schengen area.
Timeline of negotiations
The path to the agreement began in November 2025 with a decision of the Interdepartmental Council on Border Control, followed by approval of the project by the Bulgarian Council of Ministers in January.
The final push was given in June during the South East European Cooperation Process Summit in Sofia. At that time, Bulgarian Vice President Iliana Yotova and Serbian Prime Minister Đuro Matsut agreed to accelerate the procedures. The Serbian Prime Minister emphasized to BTA that the construction of “Kalotina 2“ will bring serious economic and social benefits to citizens and will ease the transit flow.