Today, a working meeting was held between the Federation of Transport Trade Unions and the leadership of the Ministry of Transport and Communications, attended by the Minister of Transport and Communications Georgi Peev, Deputy Minister Tsveta Timeva, and representatives of the ministry's team.

From CITUB and FTTU, participants included the President of CITUB Plamen Dimitrov, the Chairman of FTTU Eng. Aleksandar Shopov, as well as chairpersons and representatives of trade union organizations from maritime and air transport, and the Executive Agency "Automobile Administration".

During the meeting, important issues were discussed related to the future development of Port of Varna and Port of Ruse, the status and prospects of Plovdiv Airport, as well as the upcoming restructuring of the Executive Agency "Automobile Administration".

Minister Peev emphasized the need for decisions regarding the future management and development of key transport assets to be based on real data, analysis of the state's financial capabilities, and a clear long-term vision.

"The lack of good managers with vision and scale, as well as sluggish procedures spanning decades, are the main reasons we are lagging behind. It is unacceptable that countries to our north handle several times more cargo under less favorable geographical conditions. Our role is first to analyze the figures and see if the state has the resources for real investments before making decisions to change the model," Minister Peev stated.

Regarding Port of Varna, the Chairman of FTTU Eng. Aleksandar Shopov pointed out that in recent years the port has not actually functioned under normal conditions that would allow an objective assessment of its potential and the possibilities for development while maintaining state management. As main factors, he pointed to the prolonged absence of an adopted General Development Plan and, at the same time, the proven good indicators of cargo turnover.

According to Shopov, under these circumstances, there is a lack of a sufficiently good basis on which to make a definitive conclusion that concessioning is the necessary or best model for the development of the port. In this regard, he raised the question of whether the analysis being prepared also considers an option for preserving and developing Port of Varna under a state management model.

The President of CITUB Plamen Dimitrov also stressed the need for the trade unions to familiarize themselves with the analysis and the possibilities set out in it.

"For us, it is key to see what scenarios are outlined in the analysis for Port of Varna and if there is an assumption for an alternative option where it remains a state operator. The management model must guarantee both the state interest and the rights, employment, and benefits of the people," Plamen Dimitrov emphasized.

In response, Minister Georgi Peev indicated that the analysis considers five possible scenarios for the future development of the port. He confirmed that at present no decision has been made on the future model for Port of Varna and that once the analysis is completed and the results are received, the trade unions will be informed.

FTTU requested that after the analysis is delivered by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the International Finance Corporation (IFC), it should also be provided to the trade unions so that the outlined scenarios and possible development models can be reviewed jointly.

Regarding Plovdiv Airport, it was also agreed that the Ministry would provide the available data to be reviewed jointly with the trade unions before discussing future decisions.

During the meeting, the concession agreement for Sofia Airport was also discussed. It became clear that a parallel analysis of the concession and the conditions set in the contract is being carried out. In the course of the conversation, it was pointed out that the concession of Sofia Airport is an example of a poorly concluded concession contract and that the experience from it should be taken into account when discussing future management and concession models for other strategic transport assets.

Regarding the upcoming restructuring of the Executive Agency "Automobile Administration", the minister specified that only the activity related to checks and control on the road is planned to be transferred to the Ministry of Interior. Regarding the upcoming restructuring of the Executive Agency "Automobile Administration", the minister specified that only the activity related to checks and control on the road is planned to be transferred to the Ministry of Interior.

It was confirmed that no staff layoffs are planned in the restructuring process. On the contrary, opportunities are being sought to increase both the number of employees and their remuneration. Further meetings are to be held between the Ministry and representatives of the Agency to discuss the process in detail.

The Chairman of FTTU Eng. Aleksandar Shopov urged that the dialogue continue with separate sector meetings, where issues concerning the different modes of transport can be examined more precisely and in the necessary detail, with the participation of the directly affected trade union organizations.

According to FTTU, it is precisely the sectoral approach that will allow a deep discussion of the specific features of maritime, air, and road transport, as well as the concrete economic, management, labor, and social consequences of the upcoming decisions.

The Ministry committed to providing the requested analyses, data, and information, and to maintaining an ongoing dialogue with the trade unions on strategic issues in the sector.

CITUB and FTTU emphasized that decisions on the future of state-owned transport enterprises and structures must be made with the active participation of social partners and with clear guarantees for employment, labor, and social rights of the workers.

The two sides agreed that the dialogue will continue with subsequent thematic meetings on the individual sectors, where concrete issues, analyses, and possible solutions will be reviewed in detail.