Balgarianovinite.com 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 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. In One Year, Regional Development Ministry Managed to Restart Major Infrastructure Projects – Outgoing Minister 2026 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-02-18 15:47:25 Latest news World news Country news Most important news latest news most important latest of the day Justice Petar Nizamov Feathers Petar Nizamov- Feathers Justice bg iustitia.bg iustitia iusticia usticia investigation Burgas Bulgaria news news of the last hour news of the day news of today Bulgaria news The news from Bulgaria blitz news top news most important most commented latest news Boyko Borisov news weather coronavirus news news weather facebook youtube facebook instagram news today news of the last minutes news today today news news bg news leading news hot news bg news site for news all news news bg news of the last hour latest latest news bg news of today news today news today news of the last hour latest news today news bg news news 24 hours news vesti bg novini news world bird bg bivol bg bivol trud bg novini latest news today novinite bg news hello bulgaria political party coat of arms delyan peevski scandalous Bulgarian National Television Free Europe Television scandal exclusive live tv live right now tv tv online tv program bg live now tv news online tv online live court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas district court Burgas appellate court Burgas prosecutor Burgas prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev Prosecutor Geshev Tsatsarov Ministry of Internal Affairs Burgas ODMR Burgas ODPR Burgas police Burgas district police Burgas prosecutor Tsatsarov SGS cases Varna court chairman of the SGS court decisions on civil cases decisions on cases Plovdiv court decision of the court decisions cases Varna court criminal cases district district court decisions work in the court SGS chairman of the SGS judges Sofia court post judges Plovdiv court Plovdiv judges Plovdiv Supreme Court Inspectorate Supreme Court Supreme Judicial Council lawyer lawyer criminal cases lawyer civil cases lawyer marriage cases lawyer administrative criminal law criminal process civil law civil process administrative law constitutional law