Bulgaria cannot afford to waste time. We are entering the eurozone, where the most sensible and richest countries are. If we want to be among them, we have to act wisely and act now. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport and Communications Grozdan Karadzhov said at the opening of a round table on the topic “Perspectives, Challenges and a Vision for the Development of the Construction Sector”, organized by the Bulgarian Chamber of Construction Chamber and the newspaper Stroitel.
Grozdan Karadzhov emphasized that in addition to using EU funds, the acceleration of key infrastructure projects can be achieved through concession mechanisms. This is a tool that the European Commission encourages. “When public funds are limited, we need to attract private capital – a resource that is available through pension and international funds. This is the way to build highways, tunnels, railways and water facilities at the pace Bulgaria needs,” the Deputy Prime Minister said.
The updated concession plan includes a number of new strategic sites – the Rila and Cherno More motorways, the fast railway connections through Stara Planina (Stolnik-Mezdra, Troyan-Hristo Danovo and Dabovo-Gorna Oryahovitsa), as well as several pumped-storage plants (in Dospat, Ravnogor and Batak). “We cannot allow a natural geographical barrier such as Stara Planina to continue being an economic and social barrier to the development of Bulgaria as a modern European country. We need to ensure connectivity through modern infrastructure that will allow the free movement of passengers and freight,” Grozdan Karadzhov said.
He emphasized that the construction industry has a key role in the process of implementing major infrastructure projects. Minister Karadzhov highlighted that Bulgarian companies are crucial to the state’s ability to implement large infrastructure projects. “Without them, we cannot provide water, roads, highways and modern railways. That is why I am convinced that it is through the Bulgarian construction sector and through the concessions that we will ensure the future development of the country,” he stated.
The event was attended by the Minister of Environment and Water, Manol Genov, representatives of the central authorities, the municipalities, the construction industry, the non-governmental sector, and others.
