site.btaInterior Minister Orders Expenditures under Road Safety Fund to Be Directly Related to Reduction of Accidents

The Interior Minister Ivan Demerdzhiev ordered that from now on expenditures under the Road Safety Fund will only be made for activities directly related to improving the road traffic situation in the context of the priority of reducing victims and injured people in accidents, the press centre of the Interior Ministry reported on Monday.

The Interior Ministry added that this was done after the Minister, upon taking office, requested a review of the current status of activities under the Road Safety Fund and became familiar with the findings.

Earlier on Monday, the National Audit Office published an audit report stating that Bulgaria is among the leaders in road casualties, but the measures taken to reduce road injuries are insufficient and inadequate. The report also notes that over BGN 0.5 billion for improving road safety have accumulated in the specialized fund, but a huge part of the funds remains unspent due to administrative and organizational weaknesses in the Interior Ministry, which manages the fund.