Petition is addressed to: European Commission; governments of the Republic of North Macedonia, Bulgaria, Italy and Albania

To the European Commission,
To the Government of the Republic of Italy
To the Government of the Republic of Albania
To the Government of the Republic of North Macedonia
To the Government of the Republic of Bulgaria

Petition in support for the construction of the Pan-European Corridor 8

We, the undersigned citizens of different countries,

By expressing our support for infrastructural connection between the countries through whose territory Corridor 8 passes, mentioned by them in a number of documents, for example in the Memorandum of Understanding for the Pan-European Transport Corridor 8 between Albania, Bulgaria, North Macedonia, Greece, Italy and Turkey of September 2002, the Treaty of Friendship, Good-neighborliness and Cooperation between Bulgaria and North Macedonia of 2017 and its 2019 and 2022 Protocols, the Memorandum of Cooperation between Albania, Bulgaria and North Macedonia of October 2021, the joint declaration of Albania , Bulgaria, Italy and North Macedonia of November 2022, the declarations from the NATO Summit of July 2024, etc.,

By welcoming the decision of the EU to include Corridor 8 in the scope of the Western Balkans - Eastern Mediterranean European Transport Corridor and to designate at the end of 2023 of the Kriva Palanka - Deve Bair section as one of the six flagship projects of the "Global Portal" strategy with secured financial support amounting to EUR 500 million,

We express our concern that some representatives of the government of the Republic of North Macedonia are promoting positions that could derail the plans to build Corridor 8 by diverting European funds for the construction of the rail component of Corridor 8 to another transport project.

Driven by our active civic stance and a sense of duty to future generations,

We call on the governments of the Republic of Italy, the Republic of Albania, the Republic of North Macedonia and the Republic of Bulgaria to act responsibly and in good faith towards all commitments and agreements made in order to timely build the route of Pan-European Corridor 8 on their territories,

We call on the European Commission to strictly monitor the implementation of the project, taking into account its great importance for connecting the countries in the region and taking into account the current geopolitical moment and the need to strengthen NATO's collective security in South-Eastern Europe.