Why is half a billion BGN for road safety remaining blocked?

Political tension in Parliament escalated after "Progressive Bulgaria", GERB, and DPS refused to support a hearing of the Minister of the Interior, Ivan Demerdzhiev. The request was submitted by Petar Petrov from "Vazrazhdane" due to serious failures in the management of funds for accident prevention.

"We wanted an answer as to whether the non-transparent and ineffective management of the Fund would continue, as it has in recent years," Petrov stated.

Findings of the National Audit Office

An audit by the National Audit Office confirms that Bulgaria remains among the leaders in road fatalities in Europe. The auditors' main conclusions are:

  • Measures to reduce road trauma are insufficient and inadequate.
  • Over 500 million BGN remain unused in the Road Safety Fund.
  • The reason for the blocked funds is systemic administrative and organizational weaknesses within the Ministry of the Interior.

Despite the public importance of the topic, transparency remains in question. Petrov hopes the minister will answer the questions posed during Friday's parliamentary scrutiny so that it becomes clear how the accumulated funds will be spent in the future.