Current European legislation does not oblige Bulgaria to eliminate vignettes for passenger cars up to 3.5 tons after 2030 and to introduce toll charging according to the distance traveled. This was announced by Regional Minister Ivan Shishkov within the framework of parliamentary control, in response to a question from MP Petar Petrov regarding the future policy for paid passage on the republican road network.
The changes concern heavy goods traffic
The minister explained that European policy is guided by the principles of user-pays and polluter-pays. The change, which is set for March 2030, primarily affects the transit of TIRs on the trans-European network. For them, time-based charging should be completely eliminated, with only some explicitly listed exceptions provided for.
„At the moment, European legislation does not oblige Bulgaria to eliminate vignettes for passenger cars from 2030 and replace them with toll charging based on the distance traveled“, the minister commented to the deputies, BTA reports.
The goal of the changes at the European level is for road tolls to be tied more closely to the real depreciation of the infrastructure and the ecological footprint of transport.
Evaluation of the rules in 2027
The European Commission will prepare an official assessment of the effectiveness of charging for passenger cars by March 25, 2027. Only after this analysis can possible legislative amendments be proposed at the European level.
For this reason, at present, no decision has been made in Bulgaria to abolish the vignette system after the beginning of the next decade, nor have prices or methodologies for calculating kilometers for ordinary drivers been developed.
Concessions for new highways
The completion of the “Hemus“ motorway and the route to Vidin will be financed entirely with state funds, with the projects expected to be completed within the next three years. For these sections, citizens will continue to pay via electronic vignettes.
The situation with the planned approximately 1,000 kilometers of new roads, including the “Black Sea“ motorway, the tunnel under Petrohan and the section from Ruse to Makaza, requires a different approach. The state budget does not have the necessary resources for their construction, which is why private capital will be sought through concessions.
“Most likely, there are economists in this room and it is clear to them that when we bring private capital into public infrastructure projects, this will further boost the economy“, the regional minister emphasized.
The payment model for new projects will be specified individually when signing the contracts in order to prevent double charging of drivers. Minister Shishkov added that the currently collected revenues from vignettes cannot cover the costs of either large-scale construction or ongoing maintenance of existing roads, which requires a change in the economic model of infrastructure.