BDI accuses government of turning Corridor 10D into an electoral project while neglecting Corridor 8

The Democratic Union for Integration has reacted sharply to what it calls a suspicious shift of resources in the country’s largest road projects. According to them, the latest data on the progress of work on Corridor 8 and 10D present a deeply worrying concern.

From BDI headquarters, they claim that activity on the ground is being carried out with a marked disproportion, almost four to one in favor of the Prilep–Bitola segment of Corridor 10D. They add that equipment, workforce, and the pace of work have been unfairly redirected, significantly impoverishing Corridor 8.

“Both of these axes are part of the major agreement we reached with the ‘Bechtel-Enka’ consortium. However, in practice, the current government is manipulating the project’s priorities. The reason is the political order to inaugurate Corridor 10D before the local elections next spring, so that the authorities can exploit it as electoral capital. If this is confirmed, we have a scandal of huge proportions: the funds, workers, and machinery of a public work are being oriented according to the electoral calendar of the ruling parties,” the statement says.

But the opposition party stresses that this problem has an even more serious dimension.

Corridor 8 represents a strategic NATO link, an east-west bridge stretching from the Adriatic coast towards the Black Sea and reinforcing the Alliance’s southeastern flank. According to BDI, any deliberate delay of this artery carries costs that exceed the boundaries of domestic politics.

For this reason, they raise a fundamental question: “Is this simply a pre-election abuse of a billion-euro investment, or is someone consciously stalling this strategic corridor? Who benefits from weakening Corridor 8?”

Looking at things in a broader geopolitical context, BDI draws attention to the fact that at a time when Moscow has an open interest in allied infrastructure in the region advancing as slowly as possible, any political decision that delays this project must be treated with maximum seriousness.

“We demand immediate and unequivocal transparency: how many workers, how many machines, and what financial volume are currently allocated to Corridor 10D, and how many to Corridor 8? Who made this decision on this ratio and with what argument?” the reaction of BDI officials concludes.