The second procedure for the construction of electric vehicle charging stations, worth BGN 19.5 million, will be announced in January 2026. Under the first procedure, worth BGN 10 million, 11 project proposals were submitted and are currently under evaluation. With this total investment package of nearly BGN 30 million, the foundations of a national network of fast-charging stations will be established. This was announced by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport and Communications Grozdan Karadjov at the opening of the eighth meeting of the Monitoring Committee of the Transport Connectivity Programme 2021–2027, held in Plovdiv.
The Deputy Prime Minister noted that over the past year the Ministry of Transport and Communications has made substantial progress in implementing the programme, despite delays in previous years. “Almost BGN 3 billion has been contracted, more than BGN 658 million has been disbursed, and in the past six months alone new contracts worth over BGN 1.25 billion have been signed,” Karadjov underlined.
Among the major road projects showing tangible progress, he highlighted the Ruse – Veliko Tarnovo motorway, with payments of nearly BGN 176 million already made, and the Europe motorway, for which a final payment of BGN 85 million has been completed..
“In the railway sector, the priority remains the completion of the Plovdiv–Burgas, Voluyak–Dragoman and Elin Pelin–Kostenets lines – all key to national and European connectivity,” the Minister stated. He added that Tunnel 2 on the Elin Pelin–Kostenets section is one of the country’s greatest engineering challenges and is being monitored daily under enhanced control measures.
The Deputy Prime Minister also drew attention to intermodal transport, announcing that projects for intermodal terminals in Ruse, Sofia, Gorna Oryahovitsa and Vidin are currently under approval. “Forty-five per cent of all programme funds are directed to Northern Bulgaria – this represents a deliberate policy aimed at cohesion and reducing regional disparities,” Karadjov emphasised.
The meeting was attended by Andreas von Busch, Head of Unit “Bulgaria, Hungary and Slovenia” at the Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy of the European Commission, as well as representatives of the Managing Authority of the Transport Connectivity Programme 2021–2027, beneficiaries, institutions and non-governmental organisations.
