Bulgaria is located at the heart of the Southeastern European market, which comprises approximately 56 million people. A number of international rail and motorways cross the country, which enhance the its strategic location. The Pan-European Transport Corridors crossing Bulgaria are IV, VII, VIII, IX, and X. A network of eight motorways (E79, E83, E871, E772, E70, E773, E87, and E85) connects Bulgaria to Western Europe, Russia, Asia Minor, and the Black Sea. Bulgaria’s infrastructure needs considerable investors in new constructions and modernization. For this reason, the Ministry of Transportation adopted an ambitious Strategy for Development of the Transport Infrastructure of Bulgaria in 2006, which aims to have improved the transportation infrastructure greatly by 2015. It includes a detailed investment plan for the railway infrastructure, the road network, and the ports and airports of Bulgaria.Bulgaria has five main ports. The largest are Varna and Burgas, both located on the Black Sea. Russe, Lom, and Vidin are significant commercial ports on the Danube River.

Bulgaria has three major airports, which are situated in Sofia, Varna, and Burgas. Sofia has the country’s leading international airport; the Sofia International Airport handled 2.2 million passengers in 2006. Effective in 2007, the new terminal can service about 2.6 million people and handle 26,000 tons of cargo volume yearly. Fraport AG, from Germany, operates the airports of Varna and Burgas under a 35-year concession.