The Greek - Bulgarian borders have actually acted in the past as barriers of communication and interaction due to their adverse political and geomorphologic condition. The border zone is among the poorest regions in Europe and it is also characterized by very low income and population density levels compared to respective national averages.

Bulgaria's accession prospects in the EU create a new challenging environment that may - under certain conditions - improve development, competitiveness, cohesion and sustainability in the region. The gathering of a large number of Greek investments in the Bulgarian South, the planning of Egnatia Road and the link with large Trans-European networks and the EU funds all compose a favorable environment for greater cross-border corporation and development. On the other hand, the border zone has to overcome serious shortcomings, such as its peripheral position with respect to European and national development centers and axes, structural weaknesses, poor infrastructure and internal and external migrations. Phare-CBC and INTEREG I and II Programs have been implemented in the cross border zone, helping to improve interaction.