Bulgarian Minister of Transport, Information Technologies and Communication Ivaylo Moskovski presented an Annual Report on the Progress under OP Transport 2007-2013. The event took place at the Sofia Balkan Hotel in the capital city Sofia.

All beneficiaries under the operational programme presented information about the general implementation of the projects realised with financing provided by OP Transport 2007-2013.

The event was also attended by Minister of Regional Development and Public Works Lilyana Pavlova.

“Some EUR 1.571 billion has been paid to beneficiaries under the OP Transport 2007-2013,” Minister Moskovski said. “Some very good experience has been amassed in terms of projects and programmes management. OP Transport entered its final stage of implementation.  I may say that we achieved good results and rates in terms of the set goals compared with other European countries,” the Bulgarian minister remarked.

He recalled that the start of the projects was really difficult.

“We were in some uncomfortable state to launch projects with not good enough project preparation and readiness. There was a need of much effort and expert’s analyses. However, the result is present. The money paid to beneficiaries under the operation programme amounts at EUR 1.571 billion,” Minister Moskovski said further.
“We will manage to catch up as much as we can. Some of the activities under certain projects will start their realisation after 2015. We will also count on money from the budget,” he added.

“Almost BGN 2 billion was invested in the construction of important roads and motorways under the OP Transport 2007-2013 in Bulgaria,” Minister of Regional Development and Public Works Lilyana Pavlova said.

“Over the past five years our efforts were concentrated on establishing the vision about how our road infrastructure should develop. In this process we managed not only to realise road projects important for country’s development but to also establish an overall vision.

During the recent four-day holiday we saw that the asphalt is not fit for eating but we cannot do without it. Obviously, we need more roads and motorways so as to ease the traffic further,” Minister Pavlova said further.
“BGN 1.8 billion is needed to build Bulgaria’s Hemus motorway,” she commented further.

“In the new programme period we have almost BGN 1 billion less European financing. That is why we should think about financing means.

The new OP European Transit Corridors includes the Ruse-Veliko Tarnovo, Sofia-Kalotina and Sofia-Vidin as strategic European corridors, which we want to finance within the Hemus motorway major priority,” the minister remarked.