In brief
Bulgaria's transport minister demanded the opening of navigation corridors on the Danube after two months of stranded ships in Hungarian waters, following pressure from the Bulgarian Danube Chamber. The minister said the blockage was due to Hungarian dredging restrictions and warned that if no solution emerges, Sofia may bring the matter to European institutions. The dispute centers on access and environmental regulations along the river.
Bulgaria’s Minister of Transport and Communications Georgi Peev told reporters on Wednesday that Bulgarian vessels have been stranded for two months in the Hungarian section of the Danube, and he is urging Budapest to open navigation corridors that would allow the ships to proceed. The call came after the Bulgarian Danube Chamber in Ruse reached out to Peev and Deputy Foreign Minister Hristo Polendakov earlier that day.
During phone calls between Peev and Hungary’s Minister of Transport and Investment David Vitezy, the main agenda was securing time slots for the passage of the stranded vessels. Peev said the Bulgarian side is monitoring the situation closely and is prepared to take the issue to European institutions if a timely solution is not reached.
Representatives from the Bulgarian Danube Chamber, who spoke to Peev, assert that the Danube is navigable in the relevant section, but that the blockage is caused by dredging restrictions imposed by the Hungarian side. They argue that the repositioning of dredging equipment and related environmental regulations have limited the river’s passing capacity, trapping the ships upstream.
Both sides have highlighted the economic impact of the delay. A large portion of the vessels are commercial freighters carrying goods to and from markets along the Danube, and the extended lockdown has forced maritime operators to seek alternative routes, creating extra costs and supply‑chain disruptions.
In response to the ongoing dispute, the Bulgarian government has threatened to raise the matter with the European Union if a resolution is not achieved soon. Such a move would place the bilateral disagreement into a broader European legal and regulatory framework, potentially raising the stakes for both countries in terms of compliance and liability.
Hungary has not yet released a formal statement elaborating on the dredging restrictions or its position on the corridor request. Analysts say the issue reflects a broader tension between state‑level environmental safeguards and commercial navigation rights that have become increasingly prominent in EU member‑state relations along shared waterways.
As of the latest update, the Bulgarian ministry is awaiting a response from Budapest, while both sides continue to engage in diplomatic talks. The central question remains whether the Hungarian authorities can adjust dredging operations to create the necessary corridor windows without compromising their environmental commitments.
