Public Relations and Protocol

Bulgaria and Greece will attract investors through joint projects. This was agreed during a meeting between the Bulgarian Government delegation and the Minister of Development and Investments of Greece, Adonis Georgiadis. The Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Policies and Minister of Transport and Communications Hristo Alexiev, as well as the Minister of Economy and Industry Nikola Stoyanov and the Minister of Energy Rossen Hristov took part in the talks.

The intermodal Transport Corridor Thessaloniki-Kavala-Alexandroupolis-Burgas-Varna-Ruse will soon not be just an ambitious plan, we are determined to make it a reality. This was the common statement expressed at a meeting today between the Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Policies and Minister of Transport and Communications Hristo Alexiev and the Minister of Infrastructure and Transport of Greece Kostas Karamanlis. Rail and road connectivity, as well as cooperation between Bulgarian and Greek ports, was the main topic of the discussions.

The Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Policies and Minister of Transport and Communications Hristo Alexiev leads the Bulgarian Government delegation that will visit Greece in the period November 3 to 4.

The Bulgarian side will also be represented by the Minister of Economy and Industry Nikola Stoyanov, the Minister of Energy Rossen Hristov, the Executive Director of Bulgargaz EAD Denitsa Zlateva and the Executive Director of Bulgartransgaz EAD Vladimir Malinov.

Bulgaria and Turkey have taken additional measures to ease the heavy traffic through the border crossing points. These efforts would continue, but alternatives related to rail and water transport of goods and cargo would also be sought. The goal was to increase the number of operating intermodal trains from 7 to 22. This was stated by the Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Policies and Minister of Transport and Communications Hristo Alexiev after a meeting with the Minister of Transport and Infrastructure of the Republic of Turkey Adil Karaismailoglu.

Direct air services between Bulgaria and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia are about to start. The first agreement in the field of transport between the Republic of Bulgaria and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was signed today in Riyadh by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport and Communications Hristo Alexiev and the Minister of Transport and Logistics Services of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Saleh al-Jasser.

The EC is open to asses  proposals to co-financing the design and construction of a third bridge on the Danube River at Ruse and Giurgiu and the second phase of the Fast Danube 2 navigability improvement project.

This became clear during a video conference between Transport Commissioner Adina Vălean and the Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Policies and Minister of Transport and Communications, Hristo Alexiev.

The Bulgarian State is actively working to include Corridor VIII in the priority European Transport Network. The direction Sofia - Skopie - Durres - Tirana should be defined as part of the European corridor "Western Balkans". This became clear from the speech of the Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Policies and Minister of Transport and Communications Hristo Alexiev at a meeting of the Ministers of Transport of the EU in Prague.

The Ministry of Transport and Communications is working on the introduction of maximally simplified administrative procedures to ensure the safety and security of citizens when using drones. This was stated by the Deputy Minister of Transport and Communications Nikolay Naydenov during the opening of the INTER DRONE EXPO in Sofia.

The Ministry of Transport and Communications announces competitions for the selection of members of the Management Authorities in 9 Public Enterprises. Competitions are announced for enterprises in which, at the moment, members of the management bodies have been appointed without a competition procedure.

Munich Airport will have an active role and commitment to Sofia Airport development project. This became clear during the meeting of the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport and Communications Hristo Alexiev with the President and CEO of Munich Airport Jost Lammers, as well as with the CEO of Sofia Airport Jesus Caballero.

On the initiative of the Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Policies and Minister of Transport and Communications Hristo Alexiev, a meeting with representatives of the taxi branch will be held in the forthcoming days. The occasion is the serious accident of the past night, which ended with the death of a taxi driver in Sofia.

During the talks, specific measures to improve the security and safety of taxi drivers will be discussed. Representatives of the management of the Ministry of Interior will also take part in the meeting.

Dear colleagues,

On October 9, we celebrate World Post Day and express gratitude to the work of the thousands of employees in the postal sector. Over 180 postal operators work in Bulgaria, in conditions of full competition.

The project "Increasing transport safety in the common Bulgarian-Romanian stretch of the Danube River by improving the response to emergency situations through cross-border cooperation" - Danube Safety Net - was successfully completed. This was reported during the closing meeting, which was held in the city of Ruse on October 6-7, 2022.

The Danube Safety Net project is a good example of effective cooperation aimed at achieving a higher level of transport safety, as well as implementing national and European priorities in the field of inland waterways.

The Bulgarian and Romanian Maritime Administrations will hold a closing meeting in connection with the completion of the project "Increasing transport safety in the common Bulgarian-Romanian stretch of the Danube River by improving the the emergency response through cross-border cooperation" – Danube Safety Net. It will take place in the city of Ruse on October 6 and 7, 2022. The partners will report and discuss the results achieved and the technical and financial implementation of the project.

At the beginning of his mandate, the Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Policies and Minister of Transport and Communications, Hristo Alexiev, took immediate action to prepare and submit for consideration to the European Commission the "Transport Connectivity" Program 2021-2027. After a consistent policy and efforts, the Transport Connectivity Program 2021-2027 was approved today by the European Commission. This is the first major infrastructure program for Bulgaria that has been adopted by the European Commission. The budget of the program is approximately 1.61 billion euros.

Bulgaria will be involved in shaping the policy and strategies of one of the UN’s most prestigious agencies - the International Telecommunication Union, which has 193 Member States. Today, at the elections during the Plenipotentiary Conference in Bucharest our country received 137 votes. Bulgaria was elected from the Region C quota, which includes countries from Eastern Europe and Northern Asia.

The Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Policies and Minister of Transport and Communications, Hristo Alexiev, sent a letter to the Minister of Transport and Infrastructure of Turkey, Adil Karaismailoglu, regarding reports from Bulgarian maritime associations on the spread of information about a planned fivefold increase in tariffs for passage through the Black Sea Straits, the Bosphorus and the Dardanelles.

The Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Policies and Minister of Transport and Communications Hristo Aleksiev presented the Bulgarian candidature for a member of the ITU Council - the Union’s governing body in the interval between Plenipotentiary Conferences. The ITU is the oldest organization of the United Nations. The Deputy Prime Minister opened today’s Plenary at the Plenipotentiary Conferences in Bucharest, Romania, which was dedicated to political statements.

Bulgaria and Romania agreed on a third bridge over the Danube River. The infrastructural facility will be constructed at Ruse – Gyurgevo. For this purpose, an agreement will be signed between the two countries. In another document, they will regulate the commitments of the two countries for the implementation of the Fast Danube Project and the creation of a joint company to manage the activities of the project. This was agreed upon by the Deputy Prime Ministers of both countries, Hristo Alexiev and Sorin Grindeanu, at a meeting in Bucharest.

The motor ship Vera Su, which ran aground about a year ago, will be auctioned by open bidding. The initial price is determined based on an expert assessment prepared by a licensed independent assessor.

The stated auction price for the sale of the vessel is USD 460,000 excluding VAT. To participate in the auction, a deposit of 10% of the initial auction price of the vessel being sold is required.