Romania and Bulgaria's Growing Role as Key Logistics Hubs in Southeast Europe

Romania and Bulgaria are increasingly emerging as attractive transit routes and logistics hubs in Southeast Europe. With the full accession to the Schengen Area occurring a year and a half ago, both countries are set to enhance their economic landscapes significantly.

The elimination of controls at the internal borders of the European Union is scheduled to begin on January 1, 2025, which will further streamline transport operations. Currently, the monthly waiting time at the border for trucks has decreased from approximately 40 hours to just 10-15 hours, a welcome relief for transport companies.

Before joining Schengen, Romanian trucks spent a staggering 23.5 million hours each year waiting at borders with Bulgaria and Hungary, leading to costs amounting to around 2.55 billion euros in just 2023. This improvement in border efficiency is expected to generate over 650 million euros annually for Bulgaria, while contributing nearly one percentage point to the GDP growth in both Romania and Bulgaria.

In 2025, Romanian road carriers transported approximately 329.4 million tons of goods, reflecting a growth of 2.1%, while Bulgaria saw an impressive 11.8% increase in volume, reaching 165.7 million tons. The western part of Romania is also becoming a strategic access point to Central Europe, with cities like Arad, Oradea, and Timișoara attracting interest for the development of warehouses and cross-docking facilities.

The Port of Constanța is strengthening its role as a gateway to the Black Sea for goods from Asia and the Caucasus. Although the total volume of goods handled at the port decreased by 12.8% in 2025 to 67.6 million tons, the number of maritime vessels increased by 8.8% to 4,852, and general cargo traffic advanced by 25%.

To support this growth, Romania is investing over 750 million lei in modernizing rail access to the Port of Constanța, while DP World has expanded container terminal capacity with a 130 million euro investment. Additional funds are allocated for electrifying the Constanța Sud terminal and modernizing the port's water and sewage networks.

The demand for industrial and logistics space in Romania has nearly doubled in 2025, reaching almost 1 million square meters, with more than half of the transactions representing new demand or pre-leasing contracts. Romania continues to be an attractive destination for production and logistics in the medium term, with the relaxation of border controls stimulating the demand for new warehouses and distribution centers in Bulgaria.

Challenges still remain, notably with the Ruse-Giurgiu corridor and ongoing rehabilitation works on the Friendship Bridge affecting traffic. The professional driver shortage also poses a significant challenge for the transport sector. However, Romania is committed to expanding its road infrastructure, with the highway and express road network increasing from less than 1,000 km before the pandemic to approximately 1,400 km today.

Over 300 km of highways are scheduled for completion in 2026, and around 1,000 km of highways and express roads are in various stages of design or construction. Additionally, Romania, Bulgaria, and Greece are enhancing their cooperation in transport, with plans for three new bridges over the Danube: a second bridge at Giurgiu-Ruse, and new links between Silistra-Călărași and Nikopol-Turnu Măgurele.