site.btaIn One Year, Regional Development Ministry Managed to Restart Major Infrastructure Projects - Outgoing Minister

Outgoing Regional Development Minister Ivan Ivanov Wednesday said his Ministry had restarted some of the major infrastructure projects. Ivanov and Deputy Minister Dora Yankova gave a news conference reporting their performance.

Earlier on Wednesday, caretaker Prime Minister-designate Andrey Gurov presented his proposal for a cabinet lineup to President Iliana Iotova.

Ivanov called on future caretaker and regular governments not to sideline these projects, stressing the high public expectations attached to them. He highlighted progress on the country's key infrastructure sites and motorways.

On the Hemus Motorway, Section 1 has been commissioned. Construction permits have been issued for Sections 4, 5 and 9, while the documentation for Sections 6, 7 and 8 is at an advanced stage, Ivanov said.

The final section of the Europe Motorway has been opened to traffic. On the Mezdra - Botevgrad expressway, the modernization of a 13.4 km section between Mezdra and Lyutidol has been completed. Ivanov expressed hope that future governments would continue to work towards Vidin (on the Danube).

Construction of the Kresna bypass has started as part of the Struma Motorway project. Design work and preparations for construction in the Kresna Gorge are at an advanced stage.

A EUR 524 million contract was signed in June under the Transport Connectivity Programme to finance the section between Ruse and Byala, as well as the Byala bypass on the Ruse - Veliko Tarnovo Motorway.

Repair works on the Danube Bridge have been accelerated and are expected to be completed ahead of the contractual deadline.

On the Trakia Motorway, repairs have been carried out on more than 150 km. A total of 36 road accident hotspots have been made safer.

Ivanov said that more than 540 machines are clearing snowy roads across the national network. At present, the Trakia and Hemus motorways have been cleared, with restrictions in place only for lorries over 12 tonnes in the regions of Silistra, Dobrich, Shumen, Razgrad and Ruse.

Commenting on the water crisis in Shumen, Ivanov said all failures had been addressed and the system was being refilled. He noted that he had asked twice for the removal of the head of the Shumen water utility due to low public trust.

Ivanov recalled that the National Toll Administration had exceeded its revenue target of BGN 1 billion. A procedure had been launched to provide partial reimbursement of the funds to Bulgarian hauliers as state aid, following notification by the European Commission.

The minister said that 2,409 agreements for municipal projects had been signed under the Municipal Investment Programme. Payments of EUR 386 million have been made via the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works and EUR 130.5 million via the Bulgarian Development Bank. Ivanov stressed that municipalities had not been treated on a political basis.

He also highlighted that the Luda Yana dam in Central Bulgaria has been commissioned, noting that it is the only new drinking-water dam built in the past 30 years. For the Cherni Osam dam in North Central Bulgaria, a procedure has been launched to select a contractor for feasibility studies.

Under the Recovery and Resilience Plan, Ivanov said the Ministry's team had secured 100% of the funds for the energy renovation of residential buildings. It has been agreed with the European Commission that buildings previously at risk will have their funding transferred as grants to the Bulgarian Development Bank. The second stage of the programme will be financed at 100% (without co-financing by owners) and extended until the end of 2029, with nearly 49,000 households and 150,000 citizens benefiting from it.

The Minister also talked about progress under Operational Programme Regions in Growth 2014-2020, noting that expenditure of nearly EUR 1.5 billion had been certified, which is 94.9% of its budget. Under the Regional Development Programme 2021-2027, 560 contracts worth EUR 1.6 billion have been signed. Under the Just Transition Fund, a call has been opened for the recultivation of mines in Stara Zagora Region worth more than BGN 340 million. The deadline for applications is February 19.

Finally, Ivanov pointed to a record 828 questions from MPs to the Regional Development Ministry, of which 767 have been answered, which he described as a sign of transparency.