End of repairs before the peak of the season
The Minister of Regional Development and Public Works, Ivan Shishkov, reassured the tourism industry, stating that all current road repairs leading to the Black Sea coast will be completed within two weeks. He emphasized that the work was started during a period that allows for minimal inconvenience to travelers.
"I wish for a long season for our Black Sea coast. We will not hinder tourism; on the contrary, we will help because the motorway will be in better condition," the minister stated.
Large-scale irregularities in the construction of "Hemus"
Shishkov highlighted serious problems inherited from previous administrations, including attempts at indexations for nearly 1 billion BGN, which would have resulted in a loss for the state. The minister also revealed shocking data regarding illegal construction:
- Confirmed illegal construction on Lot 4 of the "Hemus" motorway without the necessary documents.
- False declarations made by builders in 2021, denying their involvement in the sites.
- Exposed schemes for illegally issued certificates of tolerance for buildings near Varna.
Infrastructure priorities and water crisis
The minister pointed out that Bulgaria is lagging significantly in the construction of transport links along the North-South axis, emphasizing the importance of the "Black Sea" motorway and the "Ruse – Makaza" route. Regarding the water crisis, he clarified that the main problem is the heavily depreciated infrastructure, the replacement of which will require multi-billion investments in the long term.