site.btaBulgarian River Captains' Certificates Now Recognized During Inspections in EU

Following an intervention by the Bulgarian Ombudsman, Velislava Deltcheva, certificates issued to Bulgarian river captains are now recognized automatically during inspections throughout the European Union, thereby guaranteeing recognition of their professional qualifications, according to a statement from the Ombudsman's office Monday.

The problem was caused by a technical incompatibility of the QR codes on Bulgarian professional qualification certificates, which could only be read by national authorities. This prevented Bulgarian captains from proving their eligibility to navigate inland waterways in the EU and hindered them from doing their job.

Following a complaint, the Ombudsman sent a recommendation to the Minister of Transport and Communications, asking them to investigate and issue an opinion on the measures taken to protect the rights of Bulgarian river captains and ensure their certificates are recognized by European control authorities.

Following the Ombudsman's recommendation, the Executive Agency for Maritime Administration conducted an external check of all types of identification on the certificates, including QR codes, CIDs and the holders' names. The agency confirmed that the technical problems with the exchange of data between the Bulgarian and European registers have now been resolved and that all individuals mentioned in the complaint are visible in the European Union database.