Minister Tsekov: I want to see about 60 km of new highways built on the Vidin-Kulata Road this year

"The main priority for this year is to make progress on the construction of the highway network with a focus on the international transport connection Vidin - Kulata, the Vidin - Botevgrad expressway and the last section of the Struma highway. I want to see newly built about 60 kilometers of highway sections along this route, as well as start designing sections for which there are no projects". This was stated by the resigned Minister of Regional Development and Public Works Andrey Tsekov in the program "Why, Mr. Minister?" on bTV.

The minister was adamant that during his work in the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications he did not make political compromises, and the investment process was apolitical and technocratic. He added that the main thing is whether something useful is being done for the citizens.

Tsekov stressed that he has a great working relationship with Deputy Prime Minister Maria Gabriel and the two have no contradictions.

He identified the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works as one of the most difficult departments because a huge public resource is concentrated in it. According to him, wherever there are large investments, there is great interest, tension and possible dissatisfaction.

"The most difficult thing in human life is always compromise. If I have to point out which compromises were the most difficult - these are those related to the choice to invest in a certain project at the expense of another," explained the minister. And he emphasized that the needs are always more than the possibilities. Tsekov recalled that Bulgaria has 5,500 km of road network that needs major repair, more than half of the water supply network is also in need of major repair, and each of these investments is necessary because it will improve people's lives.

The second priority for Minister Tsekov is the National Program for capital investments in municipal projects. He informed that projects for over BGN 4 billion were approved under the program over a three-year period.

"In order for these investments to reach the people, agreements must be concluded with all municipalities as quickly as possible", the minister clarified and stated that over 900 projects have been submitted by municipalities, over 700 have been processed. Of these, 565 have been fully completed, so far agreements have been signed for 150 projects, this week another 250 agreements will be signed.

At the moment, BGN 400 million have been transferred to the MRDPW account, the minister explained once again, and they are for advance payments in the amount of 20% under the first concluded agreements. Currently, however, there are still no requests from the municipalities for advance payments. The minister was categorical that BGN 10 billion has been provided for capital investments in the central budget, and in the course of work, when funds are needed for payments to the municipalities, the Ministry of Finance will provide them from the budget of the Ministry of Finance. The main investments in the projects submitted by the local government are for municipal roads and complete replacement of the street network, including new sidewalks. There are no megalomaniac projects like stadiums in villages with 500 inhabitants, Tsekov said.

On the occasion of personnel changes in the management of "Automagistrali" EAD, the regional minister revealed that already in 2021, the question of how this company operates has been raised regarding the assignments and reassignments made by it. Therefore, he referred the State Financial Inspection Agency in July 2023, and the report from the agency clearly shows that Automagistrali did not apply the Public Procurement Law to any procurement activity in the period from 2018 to 2023.

"For too long, an incorrect legal logic has been applied that the ZOP should not be applied, and finding that the law was not applied, it is most normal to conclude that the control systems did not function," the minister emphasized.

This is also the reason for the change of the management of the company, which change was agreed with the GERB party. A competition is about to be announced and new permanent members of the board of directors will be elected.

The good news is that in March of this year, the construction of the Hemus highway will begin, the minister announced and explained that he did not say that construction would begin in the first months of the administration. In order to unblock construction on the freeway, legal cases had to be resolved first. Tsekov specified that agreements have been concluded with all the contractors of "Hemus" and they will assume full warranty responsibility to the state for the quality of the performed activities within the framework of warranty contracts, which are for 7 years.

As a great success in his work as a regional minister, Andrey Tsekov considered the 5-year tacit embargo lifted by the European Commission on the implementation of the eastern route of the Struma highway. For the completion of the autobahn, additional work is required to build a duplicate route and to move traffic out of the Kresna gorge.

"The best solution is to build the route on the eastern slope. But it is necessary to develop a conceptual project, assess whether it meets the environmental requirements, and then proceed with implementation," Tsekov added.

Regarding the rehabilitation program, the minister emphasized again that the budget was clear from the very beginning and that the funds will be enough for a certain number of buildings. And, if someone was deceiving that there would be funds for everyone, then the responsibility does not lie with the Ministry of Finance.

In the future, efforts will be made to implement a medium-term program for the rehabilitation of buildings, which, however, will not be fully funded by grants. Therefore, if there is a program, it will have a budget of about BGN 2 billion.

"The key here is for the state to develop a mechanism for self-financing - whether through the Bulgarian Development Bank or another mechanism," specified Tsekov.

At the end of the conversation, the regional minister admitted that the thing he regrets the most in his work is that the amendments to the Law on Territorial Planning were not adopted in the National Assembly in order to put into operation the constructions without construction documents in the last 10 years.

“I am in the ministry to do the job I set out to do. As long as there is time," said the minister and concluded that he hopes to leave enough projects for his successors to implement.