BHCCI brings institutions, diplomats and business leaders together in Sofia to advance the Vertical Corridor

BHCCI brings institutions, diplomats and business leaders together in Sofia to advance the Vertical Corridor

Greek Deputy Minister of Development Stavros Kalafatis made his first visit to Bulgaria specifically for the forum, which featured a joint live address by the two countries’ transport ministers from Athens and brought 150 business representatives and diplomats together in the room.

On 6 November 2026, Sofia Hotel Balkan hosted the international forum “Vertical Corridor. Perspectives on Transport Development in the Balkan Peninsula. The Role of Bulgaria, Greece and Romania”. The Bulgarian-Hellenic Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BHCCI) co-organised the event with the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Bulgarian Aviation Industry Association and the Bilateral Chamber of Commerce Bulgaria-Romania.

The forum brought together 150 business representatives and members of the diplomatic corps in the room, alongside participating government officials, to discuss transport connectivity, investment and practical cooperation between the three countries.

Stavros Kalafatis’ first visit to Bulgaria and a bilateral working meeting

Greece’s Deputy Minister of Development, Stavros Kalafatis, travelled to Bulgaria for the first time specifically to participate in the forum. His attendance was a central highlight of the event, underlining the importance of Bulgarian-Hellenic cooperation for regional development.

During the forum, Mr Kalafatis held a bilateral working meeting with Mira Yosifova, Bulgaria’s Deputy Minister of Innovation and Digital Transformation. Their discussions focused on strengthening cooperation in innovation, technology transfer and digitalisation, highlighting the connection between transport infrastructure and technological competitiveness.

Transport ministers join live together from Athens

Greece’s Minister of Infrastructure and Transport, Christos Dimas, addressed the forum live online from his office in Athens, with Bulgaria’s Minister of Transport and Communications, Georgi Peev, beside him. Their joint participation emphasised the need for coordinated action and shared infrastructure projects along the North-South axis.

Romania was represented online by Orsolya Mária Kövér, State Secretary at the Ministry of Development, Public Works and Administration.

Mihaela Karadimova, Bulgaria’s Deputy Minister of Economy, Investments and Industry, and Hristo Dikanski, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, participated in person.

Ms Karadimova outlined opportunities to attract strategic investment through integrated logistics, industrial modernisation and the development of border regions, with particular attention to public-private partnerships. Mr Dikanski highlighted the importance of connectivity for economic prosperity, competitiveness and regional security.

Distinguished diplomatic participation

The forum was honoured by the special participation of H.E. Despoina Koukoulopoulou, Ambassador of Greece to Bulgaria, and H.E. Brândușa Predescu, Ambassador of Romania to Bulgaria. Their contributions underscored diplomatic support for closer trilateral cooperation.

The presidents of the co-organising organisations, Savvas Karafyllidis, Tsvetan Simeonov, Todor Ivandzhikov and Doru Dragomir, delivered welcome addresses.

Sergey Stanishev, former Prime Minister of Bulgaria and former President of the Party of European Socialists, delivered a separate address on the importance of Bulgaria, Greece and Romania planning and acting together.

Three thematic panels with expertise from all three countries

The discussions covered road connections, Danube bridges and the role of ports; the development of a resilient, integrated railway network; and EU financing instruments and public-private partnerships.

Each panel featured senior specialists from Bulgaria, Greece and Romania. The discussions were moderated by Lilyana Pavlova, Nikolina Angelkova and Dr. Lyubomir Ivanov.

Participating experts included Ms Iuliana Badea, General Secretary of the Freight Forwarders Association of Romania (USER), and Dr. Dimitrios Tsitsamis, Director of the Innovation Department at Thessaloniki Port Authority S.A. (ThPA S.A.). Their participation brought freight forwarding and port innovation perspectives to the discussions.

Connectivity that delivers value for business

For BHCCI, developing the Vertical Transport Corridor means more reliable supply chains, better market access and new opportunities for investment and cross-border business partnerships.

The forum provided a platform for direct dialogue between institutions and businesses, examining the conditions needed to turn shared priorities into viable projects.

BHCCI President Savvas Karafyllidis and the Chamber’s team thank the co-organisers, government representatives, diplomatic missions, speakers, moderators and all participants for their contribution to the forum.

Special acknowledgements

The Bulgarian-Hellenic Chamber of Commerce and Industry extends its sincere appreciation to all the institutions, partners and professionals who contributed to the successful delivery of the international Vertical Corridor forum.

Our co-organisers

We thank the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Bulgarian Aviation Industry Association and the Bilateral Chamber of Commerce Bulgaria-Romania, represented respectively by Tsvetan Simeonov, Todor Ivandzhikov and Doru Dragomir, together with their teams, for their trust, professionalism and cooperation.

Government institutions and diplomatic missions

We are particularly grateful for the support of the Embassies of Greece and Romania in Bulgaria, H.E. Despoina Koukoulopoulou, Ambassador of Greece, and H.E. Brândușa Predescu, Ambassador of Romania, as well as Mr Tzanetos Karatzis, Head of the Commercial Section of the Embassy of Greece.

We thank the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport of Greece and the Ministry of Transport and Communications of Bulgaria, and personally Ministers Christos Dimas and Georgi Peev, for joining the forum live together from the Greek Minister’s office in Athens.

Our particular appreciation goes to Stavros Kalafatis, Greece’s Deputy Minister of Development, who made his first visit to Bulgaria specifically for the forum and held a working meeting with Deputy Minister Mira Yosifova during the event.

We thank Mihaela Karadimova, Bulgaria’s Deputy Minister of Economy, Investments and Industry; Hristo Dikanski, Bulgaria’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs; and Orsolya Mária Kövér, State Secretary at Romania’s Ministry of Development, Public Works and Administration, for their participation and substantive contributions.

Moderators, speakers and experts

We thank Lilyana Pavlova, Nikolina Angelkova and Dr. Lyubomir Ivanov for their professional moderation of the discussions, and Sergey Stanishev for his separate address.

We gratefully acknowledge the expertise and active participation of:

• Iuliana Badea – General Secretary of the Freight Forwarders Association of Romania (USER);
• Dr. Dimitrios Tsitsamis – Director of the Innovation Department at Thessaloniki Port Authority S.A.;
• Tihomir Todorov – Chairman of the Board of Directors of Port of Varna EAD;
• Radu Balcu – Chief Executive Officer of GP Intermodal, Romania;
• Ivayla Danailova – Director of Marketing and Sales at the Central Management of BDZ Cargo;
• Monica Mihăileanu – Deputy General Director for Externally Funded Projects at the Romanian National Railway Company (CNCF CFR SA);
• Dr. Stavros Karamperidis – Associate Professor in Maritime Economics and Logistics at the Department of Supply Chain Management, International Hellenic University (IHU);
• Galabin Galabov – Chairman of the Management Board and Executive Director of the Bulgarian Export Insurance Agency (BAEZ);
• Athanasios Petropoulos (Thanos) – Honorary President of the Bulgarian-Hellenic Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Managing Partner at Forvis Mazars;
• Cristian David – Head of the Brussels Representative Office of the Bucharest Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

We also thank Mr George Kremlis for his participation and contribution to the forum.

The teams behind the event

Special thanks go to Ms Gabriela Dimitrova for her outstanding work as the event’s host, and to the technical team at Kompas BG, led by Managing Director Petko Borisov, for the excellent technical support and reliable live connections with Athens and Bucharest.

We thank our interpreters, Ms Rayna Dimitrova, Ms Marina Delivaeva and Ms Vasilka Dimitrova, for their professionalism; Ms Iveta Dimitrova for the design and visual presentation; and our media partner, Dir.bg, for its coverage of the forum.

Our guests, partners and young participants

We extend our appreciation to our guests from Greece and Romania, Ms Monika Stanisheva, Invest Sofia and Bulgarian State Railways (BDZ), as well as all representatives of bilateral chambers of commerce in Bulgaria, the diplomatic corps and the business community who joined us.

We are especially grateful to the student interns and students from the trade and banking secondary schools, led by Ms Desislava Benina, teacher of economics subjects, for their assistance, commitment and enthusiasm.

Thank you to everyone whose work, expertise and trust helped make the forum a platform for meaningful dialogue and new partnerships between Bulgaria, Greece and Romania.