Ministry of Transport, Information Technology and Communications

The European Parliament and EU Council adopted Regulation № 996/2010 on investigation and prevention of accidents and incidents in civil aviation and replacing Directive № 94/56/ES. The regulation is the result of several years of active work of the Group of Experts for investigating the safety of the twenty-seven EU countries, with the active participation of Bulgaria - the department “Investigation of accidents in air, water and rail transport” at the Ministry Transport, Information Technology and Communications.

The Regulation was published on November 12, 2010 in the Official Journal of the EU. It will enter into force twenty days after its publication - on 1 December 2010. This document sets out the commitments of Bulgaria as an EU member and the main functions and activities of the department “Investigation of accidents in air, water and rail transport” as a national investigative body.

Regulation 996/2010 specifies the state obligations of the Republic of Bulgaria as an EU member in the field of investigating and preventing aviation accidents and incidents. The main objectives are:

   1. Fulfillment of the obligation to investigate safety in civil aviation.
   2. Organization of cooperation between state authorities to investigate aviation accidents.
   3. Establishment of a European network of authorities for investigation in connection with civil aviation safety. The aim of the network is to create high cooperation between national authorities to investigate the safety, improve the quality of investigations and thus increase the level of civil aviation safety, to advise EU institutions on all aspects of investigation and prevention aviation accidents, to ensure timely exchange of information on flight safety.

   4. To ensure independence of the authorities to investigate aviation accidents by national aviation authorities, aviation certification and licensing activities.
   5. To improve cooperation between the authorities to investigate aviation accidents

   6. To create a single database for safety measures in civil aviation.