Bulgaria cannot afford to waste time. We are entering the eurozone, where the most reasonable and richest countries are. If we want to rank among them, we must act wisely and now. This was stated by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport and Communications Grozdan Karadjov at the opening of a round table on the topic “Prospects, challenges and vision for the development of the construction sector“, organized by the Chamber of Builders in Bulgaria and the newspaper “Stroitel“.
Grozdan Karadjov emphasized that in addition to using EU funds, acceleration of the development of key infrastructure sites can be achieved through the mechanisms of the concession. This is a tool that the European Commission encourages. “When public funds are limited, we must attract private capital – a resource that is available through pension and international funds. This is the way to build highways, tunnels, railways and water facilities at the pace that Bulgaria needs“, said the Deputy Prime Minister.
The updated concession plan includes a number of new strategic sites – the “Rila“ and “Black Sea“ highways, fast railway connections through the Stara Planina Mountains (Stolnik-Mezdra, Troyan-Hristo Danovo and Dabovo-Gorna Oryahovitsa), as well as several pumped storage power plants (PAVEC –Dospat”, “Ravnogor” and “Batak”). “We cannot allow a natural geographical barrier like the Stara Planina Mountains to continue to be an economic and social obstacle to the development of Bulgaria as a modern European country. We must ensure connectivity through modern infrastructure that will enable the free passage of passengers and cargo“, said Grozdan Karadjov.
He emphasized that the construction industry has a key role in the process of implementing major infrastructure projects. Minister Karadjov emphasized that Bulgarian companies are the state's ability to implement major infrastructure projects. “Without them, we cannot provide water, roads, highways and modern railways. That is why I am convinced that it is through the Bulgarian industry and through concessions that we will ensure the future development of the country“, he noted.
The event was attended by the Minister of Environment and Water Manol Genov, representatives of the central government and municipalities, the construction industry, the non-governmental sector, etc.