Summary：The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) in cooperation with European Union (EU) will grant 68....

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) in cooperation with European Union (EU) will grant 68.8 million euros (around 77.7 million U.S. dollars) to Macedonian government to further modernize the railway infrastructure network in the country, EBRD office said Friday.

The grant agreement was signed by the Minister of Transport and Communications Goran Sugareski, Finance Minister Dragan Tevdovski, head of EU Delegation in Skopje Samuel Zbogar and EBRD head in Macedonia Anca Ionescu.

The grant, co-financed from the EU through the Western Balkans Investment Framework (WBIF), will be used to co-finance the construction of nearly 34 km of the rail network from Beljakovce to Kriva Palanka -- the second phase of the railway Corridor VIII project -- as part of the Trans-European Transport Network that will link Macedonia with Albania in the west and Bulgaria in the east.

The first phase of the project on the rehabilitation of a rail section of nearly 31 km in length between Kumanovo and Beljakovce is under implementation.