News

Many transport companies are still waiting for their meaningful reforms and are in urgent need of modernisation. We are opening a dialogue with experts and trade unions in different areas to jointly seek the best solutions and solve the problems that have accumulated over the years. This was said by the Minister of Transport and Communications Georgi Gvozdeykov during a meeting with the President of the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions in Bulgaria (KNSB) Plamen Dimitrov and representatives of the trade union organization.

I have briefed the Prime Minister in detail on the helicopter situation in the area of the Garden Camp on 1 July and a decision has been taken to dismiss the Director General of the Directorate General ‘Civil Aviation Administration’. This was announced before journalists by the Minister of Transport and Communications Georgi Gvozdeykov. The reason is both the specific flight incident, which is against all the rules, and the reasons to believe that this is not an isolated incident, but rather a recurrence.

Interactive videos in the theory tests will measure the knowledge of driver candidates. The videos were presented to the media today by the Deputy Minister of Transport and Communications Dimitar Nedyalkov and the Executive Director of the Executive Agency ‘Automobile Administration’ Boiko Ranovski. 

The Minister of Transport and Communications Georgi Gvozdeykov defined the situation as unacceptable and ordered a full inspection of the helicopter and the operator, who performed flights this morning over the Garden beach. From the alerts and video footage received, it is apparent that the helicopter is flying extremely low over the ground, while at the same time it is showing people outside the cockpit of the helicopter throwing objects on the beach. According to eyewitnesses, the flight took place this morning around 5.20 am.

By mid-September is the deadline to apply for funding for feasibility studies for the construction of a second bridge between Bulgaria and Romania at Ruse—Giurgiu.

20 years of his life have passed in the world of high speeds and it is from this position that he knows how dangerous a car can be when not driven sensibly. This is how the Minister of Transport and Communications Georgi Gvozdeykov opened a ceremony for the awarding of the first Annual Awards ‘Initiatives to support road safety’, organized by the State Agency Road Safety. 

A week ago we opened the first application procedures for the Transport Connectivity Programme. The investments are worth more than BGN 2.9 billion and will be directed to major road and rail infrastructure projects. This is what Transport and Communications Minister Georgi Gvozdeykov said in his speech at the Sofia Economic Forum, which is taking place today in Sofia. Minister Gvozdeykov presented the transport projects that focus on regional connectivity between Bulgaria and Greece.

We are working to implement projects that will facilitate the process of building sustainable and greener ports. In this way Bulgarian ports will become strategic hubs for green energy, trade and distribution. This was stated by the Deputy Minister of Transport and Communications Anna Mihneva-Natova during an event on the project ‘EALING — European flagship action for cold ironing in ports’, which takes place today in Burgas.

The Minister of Transport and Communications Georgi Gvozdeykov and the Minister of Interior Kalin Stoyanov held an urgent meeting with the Bulgarian Ambassador in Bucharest H.E. Radko Vlaykov to discuss the situation with the crossing of the border checkpoints Vidin—Calafat and Ruse—Giurgiu and to identify measures to solve the problem.

The Ministry of Transport and Communications and the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works will work together to solve the problems in the transport sector. The development of the sector is among the priorities in the management of Ministers Georgi Gvozdeykov and Andrey Tsekov. The two have already held several meetings on the subject.

Early next week, they will hold talks with representatives of the freight and bus industries to discuss the top priority tasks they will work on together in the medium term.

More than EUR 1.5 billion will be invested under the Transport Connectivity Programme 2021—2027, which will finance various modes of environmentally friendly transport in Bulgaria. This is what the Minister of Transport and Communications Georgi Gvozdeykov said in his speech today at the Green Week 2023 Forum: The Green Transition in Central and Eastern European Countries 2023.

Minister of Transport and Communications Georgi Gvozdeykov met in Sofia with Minister of Environment, Spatial Planning and Infrastructure of Kosovo Liburn Aliu. Minister Gvozdeykov pointed out that transport policies and connectivity are at the heart of economic growth and deepening trade relations between the countries in the region. He stressed that Bulgaria will support at the European Union level any initiative for the development of transport connectivity in the region.

The hauliers highlighted the lack of drivers as a major problem facing the sector. They say the business needs 3,000 bus and truck drivers. The issue of shortening the time for obtaining a work permit for drivers from outside the European Union was raised, as well as the creation of a targeted state policy for the training of personnel in Bulgaria.

Today at the Inter Expo Centre in the city of Sofia the Minister of Transport and Communications Georgi Gvozdeykov launched the second edition of the specialized forum for unmanned aviation ‘Inter Drone Expo’. The exhibition is the first in the region that gives everyone the opportunity to learn about unmanned aerial systems. The Minister of Innovation and Growth Milena Stoycheva also took part in the event.

Today was the first meeting of Minister Georgi Gvozdeykov with representatives of the taxi industry and trade unions in the sector. 

The industry's top priority is the request to maintain the level of relief in the annual tax for taxi drivers, which for 2022 was reduced, for example in Sofia the reduction was from BGN 850 to BGN 300.

So far, the state has covered the difference by compensating municipalities for the reduction, but these funds were not provided for in the budget of the caretaker government.

100% of the Bulgarian projects applied under the Digital Europe Programme have been approved for funding. The Ministry of Transport and Communications provides administrative and organisational support to organisations in submitting proposals.

Representatives of the European Commission visited several infrastructure sites in the Burgas area within the second regular meeting of the Transport Connectivity Programme Monitoring Committee. The event took place from 7 to 9 June 2023 in Burgas. 

The introduction of green transport will be among my top priorities, said the new Minister of Transport and Communications Eng. Georgi Gvozdeykov at the ceremony of acceptance of the management by the former head of the institution Hristo Alexiev. The work on the recovery plan for Bulgarian Posts and the implementation of the Recovery and Resilience Plan projects are the other important tasks for the new team. Georgi Gvozdeykov stressed that it is important to quickly resolve the issues with the contested orders for the supply of new rolling stock for the railway transport.

The strategic location of Bulgaria for the development of transport, energy and digital connections was discussed by the Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Policies Hristo Alexiev and the Ambassador of the United States of America Kenneth Merten at a meeting today in the building of the Ministry of Transport and Communications.