Public Relations and Protocol

Discussions are underway between Bulgarian Ports Infrastructure Company and Lukoil Neftohim Burgas AD on the procedure for transfer of operational control over the port terminal Rosenets to the state.

According to the adopted decision of the Council of Ministers No 549/11 August 2023, the concession contract is terminated as of 15 August 2023. A committee has already been appointed by the Minister of Transport and Communications to accept the concession object within 30 days of the termination.

Bulgaria supports Poland's initiative to sign a joint declaration of 11 EU member states to cooperate and strengthen investment in transport infrastructure in Central and Eastern Europe. This was said by the Minister of Transport and Communications Georgi Gvozdeykov during a meeting with the Ambassador of the Republic of Poland H. E. Maciej Szymański.

They discussed the countries' experiences and challenges in implementing the strategic transport projects. This will be one of the main topics of a high-level forum to be held in early September in Poland.

Last week we sent requests to all rolling stock manufacturers in Europe about their ability to deliver new trains for BDZ in the shortest possible time. This was announced by the Minister of Transport and Communications Georgi Gvozdeykov during his participation in ‘Hello, Bulgaria’ on Nova TV.

This is the last phase before their re-announcement

The Ministry of Transport and Communications has completed the processing of the four public procurement contracts for the purchase of new rolling stock. The completed documents have been sent to the Public Procurement Agency and the National Fund Directorate of the Ministry of Finance for the mandatory prior checking procedure.

One of the main priorities of the Bulgarian state is the development of the East-West transport and therefore the signing of an agreement on international road transport between Bulgaria and Mongolia is an important step. This was said by the Minister of Transport and Communications Georgi Gvozdeykov during a meeting with the Ambassador of the Republic of Mongolia H. E. Lkhagvasuren Sayanaa.

We have restarted the process of building the air ambulance system, which was delayed and led in the wrong direction by the caretaker government. The system will be built taking into account all European rules in this area. This is what the Minister of Transport and Communications Georgi Gvozdeykov said at a briefing today in the Council of Ministers.

Penalties can reach up to BGN 5,000 per complaint left uncommented by airlines

The salaries of employees in the Executive Agency ‘Road Transport Administration’ are shamefully low and we have taken steps in three directions to increase salaries, starting from the lowest levels. This is what the Minister of Transport and Communications Georgi Gvozdeykov said during a meeting with the Union of Transport Trade Unions in Bulgaria. He stressed that the agency is addressing one of the most important issues for our society — road safety, which is also a top priority of this government.

Interview of Minister Georgi Gvozdeykov for BANKER, the conversation was conducted by Belcho Tsanev

The Executive Agency ‘Road Transport Administration’ started a full inspection of the carrier Bozav EOOD, whose truck caused the serious road accident on the Trakia Motorway yesterday. The inspection is carried out on the order of the Minister of Transport and Communications Georgi Gvozdeykov, who has requested a comprehensive analysis of the activity and efficiency of the Executive Agency ‘Road Transport Administration’.

I am committed to ensuring that transport workers have better working conditions and decent pay. This is what the Minister of Transport and Communications Georgi Gvozdeykov said during a meeting with representatives of the Confederation of Labour ‘Podkrepa’.

France is one of the countries in Europe with the most developed rail transport and we will borrow experience and good practices in this area. This was said by the Minister of Transport and Communications Georgi Gvozdeykov during a meeting with the Ambassador of the Republic of France H. E. Joel Meyer.

We are already working to provide more trains on the route between Plovdiv and Edirne as an alternative to the ever increasing car traffic. This was said by the Minister of Transport and Communications Georgi Gvozdeykov at a meeting today with the Ambassador of the Republic of Turkey H. E. Eileen Sekizkok. He added that two trains a day — one in each direction — currently run on this destination.

The Ministry of Transport and Communications will strengthen control over the implementation of the of Sofia Airport concession. According to the concession contract, a joint committee of the Ministry and representatives of the concessionaire must meet every month to regularly monitor the implementation of the contract. This became clear during today's meeting of the Minister of Transport and Communications Georgi Gvozdeykov with the Executive Director of Sofia Airport Jesus Caballero.

The digital sector is one of the fastest growing in Bulgaria and we are in the top 10 countries with the fastest mobile internet in the world. This was stated by Deputy Minister of Transport and Communications Grigori Grigorov, who represented Bulgaria in the high-level panel within the Council of the International Telecommunication Union. The event took place from 7 to 11 July 2023 in Zheneva.

Bulgarian Posts has sufficient resources for development, but wrong management decisions and lack of long-term strategy have hindered this process so far. This is what the Minister of Transport and Communications Georgi Gvozdeykov said on the occasion of the prepared restructuring plan of the company, which will be presented to the European Commission in September.

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development is interested in investing in the construction of a second bridge between Ruse and Giurgiu, as well as in railway infrastructure projects in Bulgaria. This became clear during a meeting between the Minister of Transport and Communications Georgi Gvozdeykov and the EBRD Director for Bulgaria Anca Ionescu. The two discussed partnership opportunities for the implementation of the upcoming investments in the transport sector.

The deadlines for the completion of infrastructure projects under EU-funded programmes are very important. We are open to solving all cases in dialogue to avoid delays. This was stated by the Minister of Transport and Communications Georgi Gvozdeykov at a meeting with the leadership of the Bulgarian Chamber of Builders.  
The Ministry of Transport and Communications is the structure that strictly follows the methodology for indexation of construction contracts, said the President of the Board Eng. Ilian Terziev. 

Our policy is aimed at ensuring the sustainable development of the transport sector, in line with the principles of security, safety, energy efficiency and environmental friendliness. We have started active work on accelerating all transport projects that are linked to the implementation of the European Union's green and digital transition objectives.

Interview of Minister Georgi Gvozdeykov for the newspaper 24 Hours, the conversation was conducted by Mariana Boykova