Public Relations and Protocol

A joint oil spill removal drill was carried out in the Gulf of Varna. The exercise was attended by representatives of DG "Emergency Rescue", Maritime Administration Directorate-Varna, European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) and others.

The Deputy Minister of Transport, Information Technology and Communications Dimitar Genovski, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Brazil, HE Ana Maria Sampaio Fernandez and the President of the Union of Philatelists, Spas Panchev presented a postal philatelic edition that will present Bulgaria at the World Philatelic Exhibition in Brazil from 24 to 29 October. The validation ceremony was part of the opening of the International Collector's Fair Bulcollecto 2017 in Pavilion No 7 at the International Fair in Plovdiv.

The Bulgarian experience in issuing international transport permits (CEMT) was highly appreciated during a meeting of the International Road Transport Group at the International Transport Forum (ITF) held on October 12-13, 2017 in Moscow. During the forum, discussions were launched on determine the ECMT/CEMT permits allocation approach after 2019.

The Deputy Minister of Transport, Information Technology and Communications, Dimitar Genovski, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation, Anatolii Makarov, the cosmonaut from the International Space Station, Oleg Skripochka, the First Cosmonaut of Bulgaria, Georgi Ivanov and the Chairman of the Bulgarian Astronautical Society, professor Petar Getsov validated a postage stamp. The edition named “60 Years Bulgarian Astronautics Society”.

The Ministry of Transport, Information Technology and Communications takes very seriously   the road safety problem. This was said by Deputy Minister of Transport, Information Technology and Communications Anguel Popov during the road safety conference “Peace Treaty for the Bulgarian Roads”. In his words, the increasing number of victims and people affected by car accidents is a serious problem that has to be resolved in a determined way.

The safety of navigation in the common Bulgarian-Romanian Black Sea region will be ensured via providing a place of refuge for accommodation of vessels in need of assistance. This will result from the Agreement signed today in the presence of the Prime Ministers of Bulgaria and Romania Boyko Borissov and Mihai Tudose and the Transport, Information Technology and Communications Minister Ivaylo Moskovski and the Romanian Ministers of Transport Alexandru - Răzvan Cuc and of Communications and Information Society Lucian Şova.

The Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the European Union will enable the integration of the Western Balkans into the European digital policies. This was announced by Dimitar Genovski, Deputy Minister of Transport, Information Technology and Communications, during a conference organized by the American Chamber of Commerce in Bulgaria on “Europe - the Head of the Digital Transformation: the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the European Union 2018”.

“We have only three months left to complete the preparations for the great challenge we are facing, namely the start of Bulgaria's mandate as a presiding country over the EU Council.

We resume negotiations on a new draft Agreement on international road transport between Bulgaria and Montenegro. It has become clear during the meeting of the Joint Bulgarian-Montenegrin Road Transport Committee.

The session was opened by Deputy Minister of Transport, Information Technology and Communications Angel Popov. He stressed that bilateral relations between Bulgaria and Montenegro in the field of road transport are of utmost importance not only for the two countries but also for the whole region.

By the end of the year National Railway Infrastructure Company will announce the tenders for the rehabilitation of the railway sections Orizovo-Mihaylovo and Sofia-Voluyak. This was announced by Deputy Minister of Transport, Information Technology and Communications Velik Zanchev during the Seventh Discussion Forum "Building in 2018 - Prospects and Challenges", organized by the Bulgarian Construction Chamber and “Stroitel” newspaper.

By the end of the year, the application form for financing of LOT 3.1 and LOT 3.3 of “Struma” Highway will be approved by the European Commission. This was announced at a meeting today with the European Commissioners on Regional Policy, Korina Kretu and Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Carmenu Vella and the ministers Ivaylo Moskovski, minister of Transport, Information Technology and Communications, Nikolay Nankov, minister of Regional Development and Public Works, Neno Dimov, minister of Environment and Water and Nikolina Angelkova, minister of Tourism.

For 95 years “Todor Kableshkov” University of Transport has generated professionals in the transport system, stated Deputy Minister of Transport, Information Technology and Communications Velik Zanchev in his address during the official opening of the academic year at the university.

Bulgaria considers the automation of road transport as part of the digital revolution, said Ivaylo Moskovski, Minister of Transport, Information Technology and Communications, during the Second High-Level Dialogue on Connected and Automated Driving, which is being carried out today in Frankfurt, Germany.

Krassimir Srebrov is the new Executive Director of the Road Transport Administration (RTA) Executive Agency. He took this position after a request by the former head of the Agency, Krasimir Kalaidjiev, for his release because of reaching retirement age.

With investments in transport infrastructure Bulgaria has the potential to become a multimodal hub between Europe and Asia, said Deputy Minister of Transport, Information Technology and Communications Velik Zanchev during the Second International High-Level Conference "Europe-Asia Integrated Transport Corridors ", which is held today in Odessa, Ukraine.

Upon the request of the Minister of Transport, Information Technology and Communications Ivaylo Moskovski DG Civil Aviation (DG CAA) will check the situation of the flights of Wizz Air. The order is related to the increased incidence of selling more seats than the available capacity by the Hungarian air carrier operating flights to and from Bulgaria.

After the rehabilitation of the railway line Plovdiv - Bourgas we shall reduce the travel time between the two cities by 40 minutes, announced today Deputy Minister of Transport, Information Technology and Communications Velik Zanchev during the groundbreaking ceremony of the railway section Straldzha - Tserkovski. It is part of the project on the rehabilitation of the whole railway line from Plovdiv to Bourgas, for which 800 million BGN have been provided by OP on “Transport and Transport Infrastructure” 2014-2020.

We have invested 70 mil. BGN for the rehabilitation of the 26 km long railway section from Skutare to Orizovo, stated Deputy Minister of Transport, Information Technology and Communications Velik Zanchev during the ground breaking ceremony of the section. In his words, construction activities should finish by the beginning of 2019 and hence the trains could travel at speed between 130 and 160 km/h. He said that Belozem railway station will be also modernized within a year and a half.

The Thracian Tomb of Kazanlak  and the Rila Monastery decorate the latest postage stamp on "2017 International Year of Sustainable Tourism Development". The validation stamp was affixed by Deputy Minister of Transport, Information Technology and Communications Dimitar Genovski and the Minister of Tourism Nikolina Angelkova.

All database on existing and planned infrastructure will be gathered within an electronic platform based on geospatial data - "Single Information Point". The project is implemented by the Ministry of Transport, Information Technology and Communications (MTITC) and is financed under Operational Program on "Good Governance".