Ministry of Transport, Information Technology and Communications

The Minister of Transport, Information Technology and Communications Ivaylo Moskovski participate in the informal meeting of transport ministers of the European Union and in the EU Transport, Telecommunications and Energy Council meeting ("Transport" session), which took place on 7 and 8 October 2015 in Luxembourg.

The main topic of the informal meeting was the development of cycling and promoting its use. During the meeting, the ministers approved a declaration on the use of bicycles as an environmentally friendly mode of transport. The document takes into account innovation, environmental, health and financial benefits of the development of cycling in the European Union. Ministers were given the opportunity to travel by different kinds of bicycles: classic city bikes, electric, cargo bikes and even rickshaws.

During the meeting Minister Ivaylo Moskovski and his counterparts from Slovenia, Croatia and Austria signed a Letter of Intent for the establishment of freight corridor "Alpine-West Balkan", which aims at improving connectivity and trade turnover with the countries of the Western Balkans.

On 8 October a Transport meeting of the Council of the European Union was held, where participants discussed topics of railway transport. The major part of the participants agreed on the adoption of a common approach to amending the Directive establishing a single European railway area in terms of opening the domestic services market for rail passenger transport and rail infrastructure management and on the proposal for a Regulation on market opening of internal services for rail passenger transport. The new rules are expected to improve the quality of rail services, making them more dynamic and customer-oriented. They should also promote investment and innovation and ensure fair competition in the rail market.

The Transport ministers held a debate on the mid-term review of the White Paper on transport. The document is a long-term strategy to build a sustainable transport system in the European Union by 2050.

The working lunch for ministers within the TTE Council was dedicated to the topic "Security in rail transport." The Commission presented concrete proposals for operational measures outlined in the Joint Declaration of the Ministers, which focuses on cross-border cooperation in combating terrorism and rail safety.