site.btaMaritime Space, Inland Waterways and Ports Act Amended on First Reading

The National Assembly on Thursday voted, 101-52 with five abstentions, to pass on first reading a Bill to Amend and Supplement the Maritime Space, Inland Waterways and Ports of the Republic of Bulgaria Act, moved by the Council of Ministers.

If the changes are approved conclusively, a proposal for a master plan for a public transport port will no longer have to be supported by documents certifying the completion of procedures under the Environmental Protection Act and the Biological Diversity Act. It will be enough to name the number, the issuing date and the issuing authority of the respective administrative instrument.

The instruments referred to in the application will be collected ex officio by the Maritime Administration. The aim is to reduce the administrative burden on individuals and economic operators by providing for ex officio collection of information during procedures for submitting and approving master plans for public transport ports and making relevant entries in the Register of Port Operators in Bulgaria.

Other amendments are intended to regulate a specific type of revision of a master plan for public transport ports. The idea is to regulate by law, not by ordinance, the procedure for entering a commercial entity into the Register of Port Operators in Bulgaria.