The fact is that we are lagging behind in terms of our road infrastructure. Building infrastructure between settlements should be a priority. Land Schengen is extremely important for us as Bulgarian citizens and for the transport business in our country. This was stated by Nikolay Rashkov, the candidate for MEP from GERB - SDS and a member of the expert group on transport in the European Commission, on Nova TV.
In his words, the Bulgarian state meets all the criteria to be a full member of Schengen. "Lack of expertise on "Transport and logistics" in the EU. What I can do is bring that expertise to the table. We have to fight for our national interest. The topic is already extremely political, it has no technical nature. Our border crossings meet the requirements. The topic is sufficiently politicized and is used by our Western neighbors in a different polarity," said Rashkov.
"Bulgaria's unstable political governance is a major factor for a number of problems, not only for Schengen. What I can state as a Bulgarian citizen is that the transport industry must have representation in Europe in order for it to develop properly," the expert is emphatic.
"I can confirm that my colleagues not only compete, but also outperform other carriers from Europe. We have an average wait of 17 hours at the border, which is a problem for the industry," explained Rashkov.
"Checkpoint "Danube Bridge" there has been a prescription for repair work for quite some time. What is specific there is that there is a very big problem with closures and providing alternative routes. Therefore, it is decided at the moment when to close", he explained.
"There is a threat that our transport industry will continue to exist in Bulgaria. Bulgarian and Romanian drivers are currently the drivers with the highest disposable income in relation to the economic situation in the country. We do not have the expertise to protect their rights. What is happening is that the fiscal legislation in Europe is changing, which is happening in several stages. This will take extra from their income compared to European budgets. This is the place for their rights to be protected and for them to continue investing their free money in the Bulgarian economy", Nikolay Rashkov is emphatic.
I asked if we should pay more for the maintenance of roads in our country, he said: we should ask ourselves how effective our toll system is and then look for a way to pay it fairly. In Europe, the TOL system is uniform and will be based on the generated emissions, not how heavy a vehicle is.
"I will go to Brussels only if there is preferential support from both the transport industry and the Bulgarian citizens, who recognize my actions as quality. The security of European citizens is very important," explained Rashkov. According to him, he hopes that Europe will be a safe place for him, for his children and for business.
"Russia's military actions were condemned and Bulgaria should support Ukraine as it has done so far,", he also said.