§ Lord Hyltonasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether, in the context of the South-East Europe Stability Pact and the Prime Minister's recent remarks on migration in Europe, they can report progress on improving land communications between the Black Sea and the Adriatic, or on an oil bypass for the Bosphorus and Dardanelles; and when they expect improvements to come into use. [HL4480]
§ Baroness AmosLand communications between the Black Sea and the Adriatic are being improved largely through the Corridor VIII road and rail project to link Burgas (Bulgaria) and Durres (Albania). Some work on the various elements of the corridor is under way but we understand that there are differences between some states of the region over rail routes and prioritisation of component projects. We hope that the parties involved will soon approve a memorandum of understanding to enable the work to accelerate.
A number of projects involving oil pipelines which would bypass the Bosphorus are under consideration. The two most advanced proposals are (a) a pipeline from Burgas via Macedonia to Vlore (Albania) on the Adriatic coast and (b) a pipeline from Burgas with Alexandropoulis (Greece) on the Aegean Sea coast. We understand that no firm decision has been made with regard to construction of either.