Information Technology

We are ready to work with Google to create data centers in Bulgaria, said the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport and Communications Hristo Alexiev during a meeting with Google's General Manager for Southeast Europe Peggy Antonaku. The talks were held within the framework of the 8th edition of the Delphi Economic Forum, which is taking place in Greece from 26 to 29 April 2023. The meeting was also attended by the Deputy Prime Minister for the Management of EU Funds Atanas Pekanov.

We must work to ensure universal access to the Internet, respect for fundamental human rights and child online protection. This was stated by Deputy Minister of Transport, Information Technology and Communications Alexander Poulev during his participation in the Council of Ministers, "Telecommunications" format. The forum took place today in Brussels.

The European Commission's Annual Progress Report on the Digital Economy and Society acknowledges Bulgaria's contribution in implementation the EU's pan-European goals in the field of eHealth. This was commented by the Minister of Transport, Information Technology and Communications Hristo Alexiev on the occasion of the published document. He said that according to the report, Bulgaria is one of the first countries in the European Union to introduce a digital green certificate.

Accelerating the implementation of projects for railways, roads, and digital highways is one of my main tasks. This was stated by the new Minister of Transport, Information Technology and Communications Hristo Alexiev at the acceptance of the management of the Ministry by Georgi Todorov.

Bulgaria's active role in the activities of the Universal Postal Union has received high recognition, said the Minister of Transport, Information Technology and Communications Georgi Todorov on the election of our country for a member of the Postal Operations Council of the UPU. At the 27th Congress of the Union, which held from 9 to 27 August 2021 in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, our candidacy received the maximum number of votes in the Eastern Europe and North Asia geographical group, added Minister Todorov.

The Minister of Transport, Information Technology and Communications Georgi Todorov congratulated the team of the ministry, which administers the platform for technical infrastructure in the country. The single information point was awarded a prize in the prestigious international competition "Special Achievement in GIS 2021".

"At a time when the artificial intelligence is replacing the traditional business processes, the electronic commerce is gaining momentum, and the social media is a key means of communication, one of the important issues is how to guarantee the intellectual property rights and at the same time to facilitate the technology transfer." Stated the Minister of Transport, Information Technology and Communications Georgi Todorov during a round table on topic "Intellectual Property - an engine for sustainable economic growth from science to innovation and investment."

The Minister of Transport, Information Technologies and Communications Georgi Todorov and the rector of the University of Telecommunications and Posts Prof. Dr. Miglena Temelkova signed a memorandum of cooperation between the two institutions. This year marks 140 years since the establishment of the State Telegraph and Postal School, established in 1881 by decree of Prince Alexander Battenberg, whose successor today is the University of Telecommunications and Posts.

A clear and achievable framework for digital policies and principles is needed by 2030. This was stated by Deputy Minister of Transport, Information Technology and Communications Hristina Velinova during a debate on the Digital Compass for 2030. The discussion took place within the Transport Council, telecommunications and energy ("Telecommunications" format), which takes place in Luxembourg.

Bulgarian Internet users are active in the registration of pan-European domains with .eu and .eю extensions. This was commented by the caretaker Minister of Transport, Information Technology and Communications Georgi Todorov on the occasion of the 5th anniversary of the Internet field "eю".

The Bulgarian population represents only about 1.5 percent of all residents of the European Union, but domestic consumers have registered 5 percent of internationalized European names, he added.

The total number of issued electronic prescriptions is already 500 000 and the real actions in the field of e-Health are a good occasion to celebrate the World Telecommunication and Information Society Day. The Minister of Transport, Information Technology and Communications Georgi Todorov stated this at a meeting today with the Management of Information Services JSC.

The introduction of the e-prescription system facilitates both patients and GPs, while reducing the risk of improper dispensing of medicines, he added.

The security of next-generation mobile networks is a priority in today's economies, which are increasingly influenced by the digital world. The Deputy Minister of Transport, Information Technology and Communications Andreana Atanasova stated this during an international high-level online conference dedicated to national security and cyber security.

On 25 March 2021, the Member States, in close cooperation with the Commission, agreed on a Union-wide Connectivity Toolbox, pursuant to the Connectivity Recommendation of 18 September 2020. The Toolbox consists of a set of best practices that are considered as the most efficient in allowing and encouraging operators to roll out very high capacity networks.

Bulgaria has the best conditions in Europe for the professional realization of women in terms of duration of maternity leave packages, leadership roles and economic opportunities. This was stated by Deputy Minister of Transport, Information Technology and Communications Andreana Atanasova during an online discussion a part of World Summit on Information Society.

The digital part of the Connecting Europe Facility 2 will invest 2 billion euro in European high-speed connectivity infrastructures, stimulating the deployment of fifth generation (5G) mobile networks. This was stated by the Deputy Minister of Transport, Information Technology and Communications Mrs. Andreana Atanasova in a video conference with representatives of the municipalities.

The pandemic can be also seen as an opportunity, not just as a problem - an example is that in a month have been created the main modules of a health information system, which has been discussed for years and which gives us a completely different approach to the health system. Stated the Minister of Transport, Information Technology and Communications Rossen Jeliazkov during an international video conference forum organized by the world economic edition The Economist.

At least € 20 billion a year will be invested in artificial intelligence in Europe over the next 10 years, so the combined efforts of administrations, scientists, businesses and NGOs are needed to increase confidence in these technologies. This was stated by Deputy Minister of Transport, Information Technology and Communications Andreana Atanasova during an online forum dedicated to the development of artificial intelligence and the digital economy.

Bulgarian projects for digital transition under the European Mechanism for Recovery and Sustainability will be prepared in synergy between the state and business. This was stated by the Minister of Transport, Information Technology and Communications Rossen Jeliazkov at a meeting on his initiative with representatives of the State Agency for Electronic Government, the Communications Regulation Commission and mobile operators.

By Decision No 555 and Decision No 556 of the Council of Ministers of 6 August 2020, an updated National Broadband Infrastructure Plan for Next Generation Access "Connected Bulgaria" and an Updated policy in the field of electronic communications of the Republic of Bulgaria were adopted.

The sectoral financial instruments - the Digital  Agenda for Europe and the Connecting Europe Facility - will strengthen the digital sovereignty of the European Union. This was stated by the Minister of Transport, Information Technologies and Communications Rossen Jeliazkov during a videoconference meeting of the Ministers of Telecommunications. He added that the situation with COVID-19 raised questions about Europe's dependence on third countries in areas or technologies critical to the economy, development and security.