In a joint analysis, the Dusseldorf Institute for Macroeconomics, the Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies WIIW and the French OFCE Institute have called on the EU to invest the billions planned for recovery from the Covid-19 crisis in two key projects.
The first is for a trans-European high-speed railway to connect all European capitals and the second for a “European Silk Road” to Moscow and the countries of the Caucasus. Both projects have key routes through Bulgaria. 853 km of “Ultra-Rapid-Train” or “Trans Europa Express” must pass through Bulgaria, and the cost of the Bulgarian section is 59% of the current GDP of the country, the analysis shows. A total of 18,250 km in the EU would cost 1,1 trillion euros.