Public Relations and Protocol

Transport and infrastructure are most important for Ukraine, both in the war, which is now in its third year, and for the country's post-conflict reconstruction. This was the general opinion at the meeting of the Deputy Ministers of Transport and Communications Anna Natova and Dimitar Nedyalkov with the President of the Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce and Industry Gennady Chizhikov.

Building 5G coverage on the highways connecting Bulgaria and Greece is important both for mobility and for improving digital services for the small municipalities along this corridor. This was stated by the Deputy Minister of Transport and Communications Dimitar Nedyalkov at the demonstration of the first phase of the cross-border 5G SEAGUL project.

The construction of an open-air car park at Sofia Airport Terminal 2, which will provide 1000 new parking spaces, has started. This was stated by Deputy Minister of Transport and Communications Anna Natova during the start of the construction works. She pointed out that once this project is completed, the long-awaited overhaul of the covered parking lot will begin.

We are completely renewing the fleet of the Executive Agency"Automobile Administration"with 80 new control vehicles. This was stated by the Minister of Transport and Communications Georgi Gvozdeykov during a visit to the headquarters of the supplier and representative of the manufacturer, where the first equipped vehicle was presented to him. All the cars have now been delivered and their outfitting has begun. The contractor assured the minister that the vehicles will be fully completed by August this year when they will be ready for use.

Given the specificity and complexity of the rail rolling stock modernisation project, MTC is moving to a direct contracting process for the procurement of 35 single-deck multiple unit trains funded by the National Recovery and Sustainability Plan.

Deputy Minister of Transport and Communications Anna Natova participated in the opening of the seventh and first new state-owned hospital heliport outside Sofia. It is located in the "Dr. Stefan Cherkezov" Hospital in Veliko Tarnovo. As part of the ceremony, the first medical helicopter made a demonstration landing at the newly constructed facility.

The internal inspection for clarification of the actions of the employees of the Motor Vehicle Administration - Plovdiv during the inspection of a specialized vehicle for forced relocation, owned by the OP "Parking and Repatriation" to the Municipality of Plovdiv, was completed. The Commission has found that the employees of the regional department who participated in the inspection on 04.04.2024 have violated the internal rules of work of the Executive Agency "Automobile Administration".

In one week after Bulgaria's accession to Schengen, statistics show that passengers save between 20 and 40 minutes per flight. This was stated by Deputy Minister of Transport and Communications Anna Natova during an event organized by the Bulgarian Aviation Industry Association (BAIA). The occasion was the welcoming of a symbolic flight in honour of our accession to Schengen, which took place from 4 to 7 April in several Schengen countries on the initiative of BAIA.

Bulgaria is in the top 10 in the EU in production and export of bicycles and components. This was stated by Deputy Minister for Transport and Communications Anna Mihneva-Natova during a meeting of the Informal Council of EU Transport Ministers, which took place on 3–4 April 2024 in Brussels.

EU ministers sign a declaration on the promotion and development of cycling, in which countries commit to developing the full potential of bicycles as a means of transport and their important role in urban mobility.

The Minister for Transport and Communications Georgi Gvozdeikov signed today the decision for the selection of a contractor for the delivery of 7 double-decker trains, which will be purchased with funds under the Recovery and Resilience Plan.

The Ministry of Transport and Communications received an award for good cooperation with the newspaper ‘Stroitel’ (‘Constructor’). The honorary plaque was presented to the Deputy Minister for Transport and Communications Dimitar Nedyalkov during a ceremony for the 15th birthday of the publication of the Bulgarian Construction Chamber (BCC).

Today we have changed the time not only of the clocks, but also of Bulgaria's development on its European path. This is what the Minister of Transport and Communications Georgi Gvozdeykov said after today's ceremony at Sofia Airport for the accession of our country to the Schengen area. He added that thanks to the hard work of many people over the past months the door to Schengen is already open and Bulgaria's full membership is a matter of time.

The first 19 will arrive in mid-April, and by the beginning of the summer all the wagons will be included in the BDZ fleet

BDZ-Passenger Carriages Ltd. and Deutsche Bahn today signed a contract for the delivery of 76 modernized passenger cars. The first 19 of these will arrive in Bulgaria in April, and the remaining 57 will be delivered on schedule by early June. With these funds BDZ will modernize over 20% of its rolling stock and will serve the busiest routes from Sofia to Varna, Burgas and Ruse.

In 2023, the Bulgarian aviation sector has reached 92% of its 2019 results. This became clear during the Annual Awards of the Association of Bulgarian Airlines (ABA), where the annual analysis of the Bulgarian aviation market was also presented. Deputy Minister of Transport and Communications Anna Mihneva-Natova presented one of the awards to prof. Boris Bornev. The award is for his contribution to the preservation of the historical heritage of Bulgarian civil aviation and in the training of aviation cadres.

Deputy Minister of Transport and Communications Dimitar Nedyalkov participated in a discussion on road safety at 132 Vanya Voynova Secondary School in Sofia. He briefed the students present on the main requirements related to the training of driver candidates, paying special attention to the compulsory elements in the practical training.

Bulgaria Heli Med Services EAD already has an aviation operator certificate to perform emergency medical services by air — HEMS. This is what the Minister for Transport and Communications Georgi Gvozdeykov said today during the first training flight with the Bulgarian helicopter.

The Bulgarian Maritime Training Centre now has up-to-date equipment for the practical training of seafarers in firefighting. So far, such a system has not been used in Bulgaria and the Balkan Peninsula. Its presentation today in Varna was attended by the Deputy Minister of Transport and Communications Anna Mihneva-Natova.

The important tasks for the rest of the year are the finalisation of the procurement of new rolling stock funded under the Recovery and Resilience Plan and the construction of three operational bases for air ambulance. This was stated by the Minister of Transport and Communications Georgi Gvozdeykov during the government's report today in the Council of Ministers, where the ministers presented their top priorities for the next nine months.

‘A few days before Sofia Airport becomes an open door to the Schengen area, an automatic boarding pass checking system is introduced. This is very important in view of the approaching holidays and the summer season, when the number of travellers is growing,’ Deputy Minister of Transport and Communications Anna Mihneva-Natova said at the opening of the new smart counters at Terminal 2.

Investment in people and human capital development is the key component that drives any successful business model. This was announced by the Minister of Transport and Communications Georgi Gvozdeykov during the official ceremony ‘Investor of the Year 2023’.

Minister Gvozdeykov presented the award in the category ‘Investment in Human Capital’ to Technical Components Bulgaria EOOD The company was established in Vidin and works in the field of electronics, producing components and systems for energy efficient heating and air conditioning.