Minister of Transport and Communications Georgi Peev met with a delegation from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), led by Executive Director Florian Guillermet. This is the first visit by the management of the European Civil Aviation Regulatory Authority to Bulgaria since 2019 and is a sign of the active cooperation between Bulgaria and EASA.
During the meeting, Minister Peev emphasized that flight safety is his main priority, both as a minister and as a long-time director of the State Enterprise “Air Traffic Control”.
“Over the last 12 years, air traffic in Bulgaria has doubled in compliance with the highest safety standards, without allowing delays in servicing flights,” the minister said. He noted that the development of the aviation sector requires timely adaptation of the regulatory framework to new technologies. “There is a need for regulations on drones, small airports, artificial intelligence and cybersecurity, but the rules should create facilities, not an additional burden on the sector,” he emphasized.
EASA Executive Director Florian Guillermet emphasizes the need for predictability in the regulatory environment. “We need stability in order to be able to change the rules,” he said.
Both agreed that the development of the expert capacity of the aviation administration is one of the key conditions for maintaining a high level of safety and the successful implementation of the new European requirements.
Minister Peev emphasized the need for Bulgaria to rely on expertise in solving the increasingly complex issues in aviation. He highlighted the importance of attracting young specialists through student programmes, closer cooperation with higher education institutions and using the potential of the lecturers and specialists from the Aviation Faculty of the Technical University – Sofia. According to him, public attitudes towards aviation professions should also change, as the sector offers a wide range of highly qualified career opportunities, not just the profession of pilot.
During its visit, the EASA delegation will hold meetings with the management and experts of the General Directorate “Civil Aviation Administration”, the State Enterprise “Air Traffic Management”, as well as with representatives of the Bulgarian aviation industry.
The European Aviation Safety Agency was established in 2002 and is based in Cologne, Germany. It is the main regulatory body of the European Union in the field of civil aviation and is responsible for the certification of aircraft, the licensing of aviation personnel and the supervision of the implementation of common European safety standards.
