Ministry of Transport, Information Technology and Communications

The Deputy Minister of Transport, Information Technology and Communications Kamen Kichev met today with representatives of all organizations in the field of training of car drivers. Participation in the workshop took the Executive director of Executive agency “Automobile Administration” Simeon Arnaudov and the Deputy Executive Director of the Agency Anastas Todorov.

During the meeting were discussed amendments to the regulations for training and examinations for the applicants for drivers operating as of 5^th of March 2010. The changes were developed with the assistance of formed in early August 2009 working group. Representatives from all organizations in the sphere of training the drivers took part. The main task of this working group was to discuss and propose the necessary measures to improve the procedures for training and conducting the exams for driving qualification.

During the meeting, was presented a joint statement, signed by five branch organizations – The Union of professional auto training, Association for transport training, The Union of Bulgarian motorists, The Association for qualification of the Bulgarian motorists and The Bulgarian Association of training motor centers. The industry representatives expressed their support for:

1. The normative changes fixed higher requirements towards the necessary equipment of the training centers and the qualification of the trainers, which inevitably will lead to increase of the quality of the training of the driver applicants.
2. Stronger measures on behalf of control authorities will reduce the opportunities and the presence of the informal sector and the negatives which it raises in the state
3. State efforts to defeat the purchase of driving licenses
4. Restructuring and the release of certain personnel in the public administration system, which are committed with illegal and unacceptable to society activities and work towards high standards and taking of the due place of Bulgaria in The European Union.

At the end of the meeting, the industry representatives declared their willingness to participate in discussions in the future too when the normative regulations are composed. This will improve the cooperation between the government and the industry in the name of improving the training for drivers and reducing the crash victims.

For additional information:
Kostadin Vardev, Press Centre,
Ministry of Transport, Information Technology
and Communications
Phone: + 359 2 940 96 20
E-Mail:  kvardev @mtitc.government.bg