12.01.2019
Prime Minister Boyko Borissov sent letters to the Prime Ministers of Romania, Poland, Lithuania, Hungary, and Spain, expressing his gratitude for their support and cooperation during the negotiation process on the Mobility I package. The Bulgarian Prime Minister expressed special gratitude to his colleagues Viorica Dunchilla, Mateusz Morawiecki, Saulius Skvernelis, Viktor Orban, and Pedro Sanchez for the promising results of the vote on January 10th, during which two of the three reports on the package were rejected by the Committee on Transport and Tourism in the European Parliament.
His sincere gratitude, Prime Minister Borissov also addressed to employees in the carrier sector and truck drivers from Romania, Poland, and Lithuania, who supported the Bulgarian carriers during the protests in Brussels.
In his letters to the five European leaders, Prime Minister Borissov expressed regrets that the initial objectives of the Mobility Package were lost sight of in the course of the discussions and national interests prevailed over the common European approach. According to the Bulgarian Prime Minister, such rules do not meet the social agenda of the European Union, have a negative impact on environmental objectives, and will influence unfavorably the European economy as a whole.
Prime Minister Borissov noted that European transport companies, trade unions and all sectors of the economy that depend on the effectiveness of carrier services have recently expressed similar concerns, underlining that at the end of the European legislative cycle it will be difficult to achieve a balanced package solution.
According to the Bulgarian Prime Minister, debates on Mobility I are at a crossroads and there is still a chance to avoid fragmentation of the single European market and to reinforce the notion that a two-speed Europe is not a solution. "The issues of road transport are too important for the European economy to be resolved in urgency," the Prime Minister said and added that the next European Parliament and Commission should overtake this responsibility.
Prime Minister Borissov pointed out that he relies on his colleagues and transport ministers to express at all levels their concerns in respect to the proper functioning of the single market for road transport. After a telephone conversation with European Parliament President Antonio Tajani on Friday, the Bulgarian Prime Minister sent Minister of Transport, Information Technology and Communications Rossen Jeliazkov to Brussels to meet Tajani on Monday and present all arguments on the subject on behalf of our state.
I am confident that our joint efforts will continue within all European institutions in order to achieve better solutions for the sector, Prime Minister Boyko Borissov wrote in conclusion. According to him, it is important to prevent the adoption of protectionist measures with regard to road transport in Europe.
