Expats

Bulgaria Stands Firm on Shady DTT Mux Deals - Report [Apr 01, 2012] Bulgaria will not declare void the controversial tenders for the operation of what will be the country's DTT multiplexes despite pressure from Brussels. This emerges from Bulgaria's Transport Ministry official statements in response to a list of questions, submitted by local Kapital Daily. The inquiry came a week after the European Commission issued a final warning to Bulgaria over the ... [via YahooNews] More >>

Bulgaria Sets Analogue Switch-Off Deadline at Sept, 2013 [Mar 06, 2012] The analogue switch-off in Bulgaria has been scheduled to be wrapped up by September 1, 2013, the transport ministry announced. The digital dividend proposals adopted by the European Commission in 2010 asked EU member states to speed up the switch-off of analogue TV and to complete it by 1 January 2012, but Bulgaria failed to meet that deadline. Five countries - Finland, Germany, Luxemburg, the ... [via YahooNews] More >>

Severe frost paralyzes Danube shipping [Feb 12, 2012] Bulgaria and Romania are suspending all shipping on the Danube River due to severe frost and the vast amount of ice blocking the heavily traveled waterway, Bulgaria's Transport Ministry said Wednesday. [via YahooNews] More >>

Bulgaria Axes Danube Agency Chief amidst Record Low River Level [Dec 12, 2011] Bulgaria's Transport Ministry has fired Georgi Georgiev, head of the Bulgarian Executive Agency for Exploration and Maintenance of the Danube River based in the Danube city of Ruse. The news comes amidst record just as record low level of the Lower Danube, i.e.... [via YahooNews] More >>

Bulgaria to Keep Its Road Vignettes until 2017 [Dec 10, 2011] Bulgaria will not fully implement electronic toll systems for its roads before 2017, Bulgarian Road Infrastructure Agency Chairman Lazar Lazarov has predicted. The electronic toll systems will replace Bulgaria's existing road vignettes (stickers). The Bulgarian Transport Ministry has to choose a consultant who should decide what the right type of toll systems is the most appropriate, Lazarov has ... [via YahooNews] More >>

Bulgaria, Romania Put Off Key Danube Waterway Expansion [Dec 08, 2011] Bulgaria and Romania have agreed to delay a project for the expansion of the waterway of the Danube River until after 2014. This has become clear from Thursday's announcement of the Bulgarian Transport Ministry on the reallocation of funds from the EU Operational Program Transport approved by the Bulgarian Committee for the Supervision of the program's implementation. The Committee sitting was ... [via YahooNews] More >>

Bulgaria's Black Sea, Danube Ports Introduce Electronic Invoices [Dec 07, 2011] The Bulgarian Ports Infrastructure Company ? the state entity managing Bulgaria's Black Sea and Danube ports ? has introduced long-awaited electronic billing services, the Transport Ministry has announced. The e-invoices are valid for Bulgarian ports as of December 1, 2011, the Ministry of Transport, IT, and Communications said Wednesday. "The electronic invoice is a valid, electronically signed ... [via YahooNews] More >>

Sofia Urges Germany to Pour Money into Bulgaria's Ports, Airports [Dec 01, 2011] Bulgaria's Transport and IT Minister Ivaylo Moskovski has called upon German investors to take part in the concessions of Bulgarian ports and airports. Moskovski met with Klaus-Dieter Scheurle, State Secretary of Germany's Ministry for Transport, Construction and Urban Planning in Berlin on Thursday, the press service of the Bulgarian Transport Ministry said. According to the Bulgarian ... [via YahooNews] More >>

Bulgaria's Railway Strike Grows Ever More Mysterious [Nov 24, 2011] Nobody seems to know how many trains really were affected by the railway workers' strike in Bulgaria on Thursday, with the Transport Ministry, the Bulgarian State Railways BDZ, and the syndicates all reporting different figures. The Bulgarian railway workers are set to strike every day from 8 am till 4 pm until they resolve their differences with the government, starting on Thursday. According ... [via YahooNews] More >>

Bulgaria Fawns over Brussels with Yet Another DTT Contest [Nov 16, 2011] Bulgaria has surprisingly announced plans to hold a tender for yet another multiplex in an apparent effort to prevent legal action by the European Commission, irked by the previous shady deals. The contest will be organized in 2014, until when the government will splurge BGN 150 M on freeing frequencies currently held by the military, a letter by the Transport Ministry to the European Commission ... [via YahooNews] More >>

Bulgaria Eyes EU Funding for New Trains [Oct 18, 2011] Bulgaria's Transport Ministry is hoping to get EUR 300 M in EU financing for the purchase of new railway cars for the State Railroads BDZ. Transport Minister, Ivaylo Moskovski, says that on January 1, 2011, his experts will be ready to apply for funding for railway cars and engines for the 2014 ? 2020 program period, adding money for new trains could be secured as early as 2011 if some funds ... [via YahooNews] More >>

Bulgaria's Govt Sets Up Danube Navigation Info System [Oct 09, 2011] Bulgaria's government has moved to absorb EU money for the creation of an information system of the navigation of the Danube River. Earlier this week, the Transport Ministry and the Bulgarian Ports Infrastructure Company, a government body, signed a contract for financial aid from the Ministry to the Company for the creation of the info system that will cover the Bulgarian section of the Danube ... [via YahooNews] More >>

Bulgaria's Varna-West Port Breaks Record in Processed Cargo [Oct 04, 2011] The Varna West port near Bulgaria's Black Sea capital has processed 1 065 000 metric tons of cargo in September 2011, according to official information from the Transport Ministry. This an absolute record breaker, beating the one from August, 2011 ? 1 million tons. Since the beginning of the year, the port has processed over 6 665 600 tons, which is 12% more, compared to the same period of last ... [via YahooNews] More >>

Brussels Moves to Sanction Bulgaria over DTT Multiplex Deals [May 20, 2011] The European Commission has launched an infringement procedure against Bulgaria over the highly controversial tenders for the operation of what will be the country's DTT multiplexes, a spokesman told local media. The information was confirmed by the Transport Ministry, even though they said they have not yet received an official letter from the European Commission with the motives for this ... [via YahooNews] More >>

Bulgaria's Transport Minister Ousted over Investigation, Failures - Report [May 18, 2011] Even though Bulgaria's Transport Minister Alexander Tsvetkov has formally resigned his post over "personal reasons", there are indications that he was ousted because of failed policies and lobbyist deals. Tsvetkov somewhat surprisingly resigned his position on Wednesday, the only explanation on part of the Transport Ministry being that her had personal motives for this move. Various statements ... [via YahooNews] More >>

Bulgaria Contracts EUR 1 B of EU Funds for Transport [May 13, 2011] Just over half of the EUR 2 B slated for Bulgaria under EU Operational Program "Transport" for 2007-2013 have been contracted, the Bulgarian Transport Ministry announced. Projects for a total of EUR 1.07 B, or 54% of the total amount, that Bulgaria is supposed to receive from the Transport operational program from the EU by 2013 have already been approved. ... [via YahooNews] More >>

Bulgaria to Construct Its First 'Rolling Highway' Terminal [Jul 02, 2010] Bulgarias Transport Ministry has unveiled plans to construct two Rolling Highway or Ro-La terminals, a combined system allowing the transport of trucks by rail. [via YahooNews] More >>

Bulgaria Makes Debut in 'Dakar 2011' Race [Jun 02, 2010] Bulgaria is to participate for the first time ever with two ATV pilots in the prestigious Dakar 2011 race, the Transport Ministry informs Thursday. [via YahooNews] More >>

Bulgaria Transport Ministry Employee Sacked over Act Change [May 19, 2010] An employee of Bulgaria's Transport Ministry, who was accused of being the culprit behind the scandalous suspension of an amendment of the Bulgarian Automobile Transport Act, identified as Slavka Andreeva, has been fired. [via YahooNews] More >>

Bulgaria PM Outraged Over Changes to Transport Act [May 14, 2010] Bulgaria's Prime Minister has demanded that the Transport Ministry reinforce the recently abolished amendment to the regulations for bus categorization. [via YahooNews] More >>