News

A network of car parks in the country, FAST Danube 2 and two railway projects are the approved investments under the programme

The European Commission has approved four Bulgarian projects under the Connecting Europe Facility 2021—2027. This became clear during the regular meeting of the CEF Committee held in Brussels. Their total value is almost EUR 169 million, of which just over EUR 143 million is Cohesion Package funding.

The Executive Agency “Maritime Administration” (EAME) and the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) successfully completed the joint oil spill response exercise "Burgas 2024". During the event, held in the period 11-12 July in Burgas, were presented real situations of liquidation of major oil pollution by the forces and means provided in the National Oil Spill Contingency Plan.

Joint action to stop access of overloaded trucks to ports on the Danube and the Black Sea. This was discussed at a meeting of the Deputy Ministers of Transport and Communications Anna Natova and Dimitar Nedyalkov with representatives of the state and private port operators in the country. The aim of the measures is to improve road safety and protect transport infrastructure, said Deputy Minister Anna Natova.

The two helicopters provide coverage to about 90% of the country

The second medical helicopter will be positioned at a temporary operating base at Burshen Airport. The planned range of the machine is 170 km and in November the two helicopters will cover about 90% of the country. This was announced today by the Minister of Transport and Communications Georgi Gvozdeykov, who today together with the Mayor of Sliven Stefan Radev launched the renovation works at the base.

The company begins to stop inefficient activities

The European Commission has approved the Restructuring Plan of Bulgarian Post EAD. The preparation of the document and its approval by the EC was a condition for the postal operator to receive urgent financial support in the amount of BGN 50 million.

Bulgaria is fully ready for the resumption of the Ruse-Giurgiu ferry line. The project is of key importance for easing the traffic between Bulgaria and Romania, given the upcoming renovation works on the Danube Bridge. This was stated by the Minister of Transport and Communications Georgi Gvozdeykov during a meeting with the Minister of Regional Development and Public Works Violeta Koritarova and the Ambassador of Romania in Sofia H.E. Brundus Predescu. 

Bulgaria plays a crucial role in the connectivity of several regions. Our country is a crossroads between the Balkan Peninsula, the Eastern Mediterranean and the Black Sea. This was stated by Deputy Minister of Transport and Communications Anna Natova at a meeting today with Matthew Boyce, former US Assistant Secretary of State and Senior Fellow at the Hudson Institute, Washington, and Chairman of the Sofia Security Forum Yordan Bozhilov.  

We have successfully finalised the negotiations and have now selected a contractor for the delivery of 35 electric multiple unit trains. This was announced by the Minister of Transport and Communications Georgi Gvozdeykov during the Green Transition Forum 4.0. The rolling stock will be purchased with Recovery and Sustainability Plan funds. The Polish company Stadler Polska Sp. z o.o. was chosen as the contractor. The proposed price is BGN 642.5 million and the delivery period is 28 months. 

Starting this week BDZ will increase trains between Sofia and Burgas. This became clear during a meeting between the Minister of Transport and Communications Georgi Gvozdeykov and the management of BDZ Holding EAD and BDZ-Passenger Transport EOOD. The minister demanded a full investigation of all circumstances related to the train from Sofia to Burgas on Friday night. ‘It is absurd for passengers to travel in this way when they have bought a ticket and someone has not done their job’, he added.

The new rolling stock fully meets our expectations. From now on, we can offer people on these trains many times more comfort. This is what the Minister of Transport and Communications Georgi Gvozdeykov said in Burgas on disembarking from the first train with the modernized rolling stock. The Transport Minister was one of the passengers who travelled the distance from Sofia to Burgas with the new carriages. With him in the train were Deputy Minister of Transport and Communications Biser Minchev and the Manager of BDZ-Passenger Transport Ventsislav Slavkov.

The second batch of 19 more wagons will be in Bulgaria within days

In a very short period, we were able to start the renewal of rolling stock in rail transport. This was stated by the Minister of Transport and Communications Georgi Gvozdeykov during the presentation of the first composition of the modernized wagons, which were bought from Germany.

Investment in railways is extremely important to meet the requirements of Europe’s Green Deal — reducing emissions and fuel consumption and increasing energy efficiency. This was stated by Deputy Minister of Transport and Communications Biser Minchev during a conference on ‘The Need for a National Plan for a Fair Transition’. The event, organized by the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions in Bulgaria (CITUB) in cooperation with the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, was attended by representatives of the central and local government, industry organizations and others.

Hydrogen electric transport can have accelerated development with strong institutional support. This was stated by the Deputy Minister of Transport and Communications Dimitar Nedyalkov at a round table organized by the Bulgarian Association for Hydrogen, Fuel Cells and Energy Storage. The Ministry of Transport and Communications hosted the event, which is part of the Hydrogen Electromobility Days programme. 

Minister of Transport and Communications Georgi Gvozdeykov participates in the meeting of the Council of the European Union on Transport, Telecommunications and Energy, format "Transport", held in  Luxembourg, Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.

Министерството на транспорта и съобщенията подкрепя развитието и внедряването на водородните технологии в транспортния сектор. Това заяви заместник-министърът на транспорта и съобщенията Димитър Недялков по време на официалното откриване в София на Дните на водородната електромобилност.

The deadline for connecting the devices at all technical inspection points to the information system of the Road Administration Agency is 22 July 2024. From then on, the data from the technical measuring devices will be automatically transmitted electronically to the EAAA. After that date, the operation of all points that have not met the conditions will be suspended.

The Ministry of Transport and Communications has published for public consultation amendments to Ordinance No. 37 and Ordinance No. 38 regulating the conditions and procedures for the training and examination of candidates for the acquisition of driving licence. The regulations are published on the Public Consultation Portal of the Council of Ministers - https://strategy.bg/

Minister of Transport and Communications Georgi Gvozdeykov, Minister of Interior Kalin Stoyanov, Minister of e-Government Valentin Mundrov and Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Svetlan Stoev met today with representatives of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE). The delegation is visiting Bulgaria to observe the forthcoming elections to the National Assembly and the European Parliament.

The Director of the Civil Aviation Administration, Anelia Marinova, is the first Bulgarian representative to join the leadership of the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).

The institution ensures the safety and environmental protection of the civil aviation sector in Europe. One of its goals is to make the transition to greener aviation. The Board is responsible for setting the agency's priorities, setting the budget, overseeing licensing and preparing amendments to the regulatory framework. 

On the order of the Minister of Transport and Communications Georgi Gvozdeykov, an inspection of the organization of the activities in the National Railway Infrastructure started today. The scope of the audit includes the company's financial management and controls, safety management systems, and occupational health and safety procedures.

The reason for the urgent inspection is the increasing number of incidents on the railway network, the latest of which was yesterday evening.