A meeting of the Monitoring Committee of OP Transport was held under the presidency of Deputy Minister of Transport, Information Technologies and Communications Ivailo Moskovski.

A draft decision was submitted under which 60 million EU under Priority Axis 2 (Development of Road Infrastructure) should be transferred to Priority Axis 1. Apart from development of road infrastructure, the scope of the latter will also include development of sustainable railway public transport. By these changes Metropoliten EAD will become an eligible beneficiary under this axis which will ensure the financing of the completion of the Sofia underground (from Obelya to Nadezhda and from Mladost 1 to Tsarigradsko Chausse). The new project of the underground is expected to include the purchase of new rolling stock.

The participants in the forum discussed issues related to the development of the operational programme. It was proposed that Bulgarian Ports Infrastructure Company be also a beneficiary under Priority Axis 3 Improvement of Intermodality for Passenger and Freight. The proposed project is entitled Super Bourgas (Public Access Zone of Bourgas Port). It combines three types of transport - railway, road and water. The project will be implemented in two stages as the first is expected to be fulfilled during the present programming period. The provisional budget for the first stage is 30 million EUR and will cover the area between 1^st and 4^th ship places at the Bourgas East Port. An international marine station (cruise terminal), parking lots and green areas will be built there, while the existing infrastructure will be rehabilitated so that the port would be open to the public.

The possibility that the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works be included as beneficiary under Priority Axis 5, Technical Assistance, is also considered. This is deemed necessary in view to its functions as a unit of coordination and communication between the Ministry of Transport, Information Technologies and Communications and the Road Infrastructure Agency.

"We are working to make up for the big delays under OP Transport but work is not always going on at the desired pace. I hope that after the changes in the operational programme we would be able to report better results," Deputy Minister Moskovski said.

Representatives of the beneficiaries presented the implementation of the projects. The physical implementation of the first stage of the Sofia underground (Nadezhda road junction - Cherni Vruh Blvd.) has almost reached 47%. The physical implementation of Lot 1 of the second stage (Obelya - Nadezhda road junction) is 47%, while the one of Lot 2 (Mladost 1 - Tsarigradsko Chausse) is 46%. Work is being carried out on all lots of the Trakiya Motorway as the physical implementation is as follows: Lot 2 (Stara Zagora - Nova Zagora) - 14%, Lot 3 (Nova Zagora - Yambol) - 5%, Lot 4 (Yambol - Karnobat) - over 1%. The Railway Infrastructure National Company reported 36% physical implementation of the project, Svilengrad - Turkish/Greek border.

Deputy Minister Ivailo Moskovski said that the Managing Authority has received a request by the Bulgarian State Railways (BDZ) to be included as beneficiary under OP Transport. This is about to be discussed and the possibilities to this end will be considered, the Deputy Minister said.

Attending the Monitoring Committee meeting were representatives of the European Commission, the executive and the local authorities as well as non-governmental organizations and trade unions.