Ministry of Transport, Information Technology and Communications

Bulgaria supports strengthening the co-operation in cases of railway accidents

Bulgaria has extended its support to the proposal of increased cooperation between member states in the event of railway accidents. This is what the Minister of Transport, Information Technology and Communications, Danail Papazov, stated earlier today during the meeting of the Council of the Ministers of Transport, Telecommunications and Energy in Luxembourg.

According to him, the Bulgarian side considers it to appropriate to include a provision on the conclusion of agreements between the European Railway Agency and one or more national safety authorities. In his speech, Danail Papazov welcomed the extension of the transitional period of five years after the Directive comes into force, as well as the easing of the process of appropriate assessment of different enterprises.

In addition to the EU Directive on the interoperability of the rail system, the Regulation for Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) was also discussed during the meeting. The amount of CEF’s budget in the transport sector will be largely dependent on the agreement reached on the Multi-annual Financial Framework of the EU for 2014 - 2020. The proposed list of transport projects covers the main Bulgarian railway lines which will be granted investments during the 2014 - 2020 period (Vidin - Sofia - Burgas/Turkish border - Sofia Tower, Sofia - Serbian border, Sofia - Macedonian border) and the river Danube. Also eligible for funding under the CEF (cohesion division) are the projects "Modernization of the railway line Vidin - Sofia" (in the area of Vidin - Mezdra) and "Improvement of navigation on the Danube in the common Bulgarian-Romanian section."

During the Council of Ministers the Euro-Mediterranean Aviation Agreement was signed between EU member states on one side, and the Israeli government on the other.

Minister Danail Papazov participated in the discussions during which the ministers discussed the main factors influencing transport policy two years after the adoption of the White Paper on Transport in 2011. The relation between the transport sector, growth and the creation of new jobs was also discussed. Once again, the importance of transport in the facilitation of economic growth, improvement of competitiveness and employment was highlighted.

After the end of the discussions, Minister Danail Papazov personally invited the Vice-President of the European Commission for Transport, Siim Kallas, to attend the official inauguration of Danube Bridge 2, which will take place on Friday 14th June.

Bulgaria has extended its support to the proposal of increased cooperation between member states in the event of railway accidents. This is what the Minister of Transport, Information Technology and Communications, Danail Papazov, stated earlier today during the meeting of the Council of the Ministers of Transport, Telecommunications and Energy in Luxembourg.

According to him, the Bulgarian side considers it to appropriate to include a provision on the conclusion of agreements between the European Railway Agency and one or more national safety authorities. In his speech, Danail Papazov welcomed the extension of the transitional period of five years after the Directive comes into force, as well as the easing of the process of appropriate assessment of different enterprises.

In addition to the EU Directive on the interoperability of the rail system, the Regulation for Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) was also discussed during the meeting. The amount of CEF’s budget in the transport sector will be largely dependent on the agreement reached on the Multi-annual Financial Framework of the EU for 2014 - 2020. The proposed list of transport projects covers the main Bulgarian railway lines which will be granted investments during the 2014 - 2020 period (Vidin - Sofia - Burgas/Turkish border - Sofia Tower, Sofia - Serbian border, Sofia - Macedonian border) and the river Danube. Also eligible for funding under the CEF (cohesion division) are the projects "Modernization of the railway line Vidin - Sofia" (in the area of Vidin - Mezdra) and "Improvement of navigation on the Danube in the common Bulgarian-Romanian section."

During the Council of Ministers the Euro-Mediterranean Aviation Agreement was signed between EU member states on one side, and the Israeli government on the other.

Minister Danail Papazov participated in the discussions during which the ministers discussed the main factors influencing transport policy two years after the adoption of the White Paper on Transport in 2011. The relation between the transport sector, growth and the creation of new jobs was also discussed. Once again, the importance of transport in the facilitation of economic growth, improvement of competitiveness and employment was highlighted.

After the end of the discussions, Minister Danail Papazov personally invited the Vice-President of the European Commission for Transport, Siim Kallas, to attend the official inauguration of Danube Bridge 2, which will take place on Friday 14th June.