By December 31, the road from the Greek side to the Rudozem - Xanthi border checkpoint will be ready, said Christodoulos Topsidis, Eastern Macedonia and Thrace Regional Governor during his visit in Smolyan, reported BTA. Christodoulos Topsidis visited Smolyan and participated in a working meeting with Smolyan Regional Governor Zahari Sirakov. From January 1, according to the Schengen regulations, it should be possible to pass freely through the checkpoint at Rudozem, said Zahari Sirakov. He added that this depends on the final vote in Brussels on Bulgaria's full accession to the Schengen Area.

The Rudozem - Xanthi border checkpoint has been completed on the Bulgarian side, and its opening has been delayed several times due to the overdue construction of the road from Dimario (Greece) to the border. The first sod was turned in January 2020. This is the seventh checkpoint on the border with Greece.