European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation “East Gate”, 8 September 2026
Table of contents
Summary
Representatives of the EGTC “EAST GATE” met with officials at the Bulgarian Embassy in Chișinău to discuss Bulgaria’s involvement in Europe’s largest territorial cooperation grouping. The discussion focused on preparations for the signing ceremony of the Group’s founding documents, scheduled for September 11, 2026, in Eforie Nord.
Key details from the release include:
- Bulgarian & Moldovan Participation: Fifteen Bulgarian localities across Silistra, Ruse, Varna, and Dobrich are joining the Grouping alongside institutions like the University of Ruse and Varna Maritime Academy. Moldovan localities with significant Bulgarian populations, such as Taraclia, are also founding members.
- Economic & Strategic Scope: The Grouping aims to connect business communities across Romania, Moldova, Ukraine, and Bulgaria, spanning Danube ports, Black Sea access, industrial zones, and agriculture.
- Scale of the Project: Spanning approximately 150,000 km² and over 10 million inhabitants, “EAST GATE” will be the largest EGTC in Europe and the only one uniting two EU member states with two EU candidate countries.
- The Eforie Nord Event: Around 300 public authorities and academic institutions will attend the signing ceremony, featuring high-level speakers, European representatives, and a message from Romanian President Nicușor Dan.
Press release
Sergiu Suharenco, interim director of the EGTC “EAST GATE”, accompanied by H.E. Iurie Bodrug, the Group’s adviser for diplomatic affairs, was received today at the Embassy of the Republic of Bulgaria in the Republic of Moldova by Tihomir Todorov, Counsellor, and Nikola Todorov, First Secretary and Head of the Commercial and Economic Section, on behalf of the Ambassador, H.E. Ms Maia Dobreva. Discussions focused on the state of preparations for the signing ceremony of the Group’s founding documents, which will take place on Friday, 11 September 2026, in Eforie Nord, as well as Bulgaria’s participation in the event.
Bulgaria anchors the Group on the Lower Danube and the Black Sea: fifteen localities in the regions of Silistra, Ruse, Varna and Dobrich have adopted the decisions to join, with the Silistra Municipal Council voting unanimously, whilst the municipalities of Dobrich, Ruse and Varna, the Varna Maritime Academy and the University of Ruse are in the process of adopting them. In the Republic of Moldova, the Bulgarian community is already part of the initiative: the Taraclia District Council, the town of Taraclia and localities with a predominantly Bulgarian population, such as Albota de Sus, Albota de Jos and Valea Perjei, have adopted their membership resolutions and will sit at the same table as Silistra, Dobrich, Ruse and Varna in Eforie Nord.
The economic dimension featured prominently in the discussions: the Group could become a platform for connecting the business communities of the Republic of Moldova, Bulgaria, Romania and Ukraine, from the Danube and seaports to industrial estates and agricultural producers, and the Embassy’s Commercial and Economic Section, which represents the Ministry of Economy and Industry of the Republic of Bulgaria, is the Group’s natural point of contact for this aspect. The Bulgarian side was informed of the invitations extended to the Ambassador of the Republic of Bulgaria to Romania and to the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works in Sofia, as well as of the Group’s efforts to ensure that the founding states are represented at the highest level in Eforie Nord.
Representatives from around 300 public authorities, universities and research institutes in Romania, the Republic of Moldova, Ukraine and Bulgaria are expected to attend the event in Eforie Nord. At the opening of the official session, a message from the President of Romania, Nicușor Dan, will be delivered to participants by Eugen Tomac, Member of the European Parliament and Honorary Adviser to the President of Romania, who has supported this initiative since its launch in Chișinău in September 2025 and is attending the ceremony as a guest of honour. Speakers will include Pavel Branda, President of the European Cross-Border Platform; the representative of the European Committee of the Regions; Elien Declercq, Director-General of Eurometropole Lille–Kortrijk–Tournai, the first European grouping of territorial cooperation; and Tünde Tímea Csetnek, Director of the EGTC ‘Gate to Europe’.
With its current membership, the Grouping will become the largest territorial cooperation grouping in Europe, covering an area of approximately 150,000 km² with over 10 million inhabitants, and the only one bringing together two Member States of the European Union and two candidate countries; the Union’s eastern gateway is taking shape from the Carpathians to the Danube and the Black Sea.
“From Taraclia to Silistra and from Varna to Constanța, the Bulgarians of Bugeac and those along the Danube are joining the same European project. With Bulgaria, the circle of the four states is closed off at the Danube and the Black Sea, and on 11 September the communities will confirm this with their signatures,” emphasised Sergiu Suharenco.
The process of establishing the organisation was launched in Chișinău on 18 September 2025, and the Constituent General Assembly, held on 19 March 2026 at the Palace of Parliament in Romania, brought together 236 representatives of the authorities from the four states.
Further information: info@gect.eu • http://www.eastgate.ro
Photo: Tihomir Todorov (on the left) – counsellor at the Embassy of the Republic of Bulgaria; Nikola Todorov (second from the left) – first secretary and head of the commercial and economic department; Sergiu Suharenco (second from the right) – acting director of EGTK ‘EAST GATE’; H.E. Iurie Bodrug (far right) – diplomatic adviser to EGTS ‘EAST GATE’ (and former Ambassador of the Republic of Moldova to Poland).
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