Ministry of Transport, Information Technology and Communications

The Bulgarian side stated before Turkey the need of earlier allocation of the one-off permits, type to/from a third country quota, for the Turkish side due to Bulgaria in the second half of the year. This was stated by the Minister of Transport, Information Technology and Communications, Ivaylo Moskovski during the discussion "Yes! On the Bulgarian Economy", organized by the newspaper "Standard" and the Confederation of Employers and Industrialists in Bulgaria (CEIB), which was attended by the Prime Minister Boyko Borisov and other cabinet ministers.

Minister Ivaylo Moskovski said that the forthcoming negotiations are to settle the permits issue in the long term. In his words, the Bulgarian side expressed desire for full liberalization of the licensing regime between the two countries. In case of disagreement on full liberalization, we consider proposing a discussion on increasing of the annual one-off permits type to/from a third country quota, he added.

Minister Ivaylo Moskovski said that during discussions between the two countries the branch is also playing an important role and if we could find a way for good communication between Bulgarian and Turkish trade unions, it would be very helpful in the negotiations. He said he would monitor the strict and fair distribution of permits.

When asked about the fees collected by the Bulgarian Port Infrastructure Company (BPIC), Minister Ivaylo Moskovski said that they are cost-oriented and it’s logical to be collected by the structure, which spends on maintenance, operations and investments in infrastructure. He hinted on possible discussions on the option these fees to be distributed by the operator and BPIC. However, distribution of investments and maintenance on the territory of each port should be reviewed, as currently operators invest primarily in equipment, not in maintenance of port infrastructure. If this changed and we distribute all investment activity, we tend to talk about a redistribution of fees collected, added Minister Moskovski.