On 15.10.2026, a meeting was held at the CITUB building with the presidential candidate pair Iliana Iotova and Kiril Valchev in connection with the upcoming presidential elections of the Republic of Bulgaria.

During the meeting, the President of the FTTU, Eng. Aleksandar Shopov, raised important issues related to income policy, the development of the transport sector, and the role of the presidential institution in defending the country's strategic interests.

The main questions posed by Eng. Shopov were:

• Income policy – Will the President take a more critical and active stance regarding the government's policy on the incomes of public sector workers?

• Development of air and water transport – Will the presidential institution use its international contacts and diplomatic capabilities to attract international airlines, expand air links, and increase cargo flows through Bulgarian ports?

• What is the presidential candidate pair's position regarding public-private partnerships and the concession of strategic transport infrastructure sites - Port of Varna?

In response to the questions raised, Iliana Iotova stated that at the moment she was not familiar in detail with the issues surrounding the concessions of Port of Varna, but made a commitment to inform herself and get acquainted with the specific circumstances.

Regarding the launch of new international air routes, Iotova emphasized the need for preliminary economic estimates and analyses of their profitability. She pointed out that a new air route to Beijing is expected to open, and gave an example with travel to Skopje, where in certain cases air travel, along with the required time for airport procedures, can take longer than traveling by car.

For the Federation of Transport Trade Unions, the development of the transport sector, the protection of labor rights, and decent pay for workers remain top priorities. FTTU continues to raise these issues within the framework of insti

tutional dialogue and to defend the interests of those employed in the sector.