Bulgaria`s Regional Development Minister Rosen Plevneliev has highlighted the national significance of the inclusion of 7 highways and 7 high-quality roads into the TERN project. Photo by BGNES
Regional Development Minister Rosen Plevneliev has termed "a big victory for Bulgaria" the fact that the priority projects under the Bulgaria 2020 strategy (seven highways, seven high-speed thoroughfares) are now part of the Trans-European road network (TERN).
TERN, a project aimed at improving the internal road infrastructure of the European Union, is one of several Trans-European Transport Networks (TEN-T)- a planned set of road, rail, air and water transport networks designed to serve the European continent.
"The deadline was June 30. This is how an excellent administration works- the European Commission will be ready by June 30 sharp", Plevneliev explained.
Showing a map of TERN, Plevneliev said that the achievement was the result of a year and a half of negotiations and efforts.
For Bulgarian citizens all of this means that the Hemus Highway and the high-speed thoroughfares have been included in the TERN project.
They cost around EUR 3 B, with Bulgarians saving 80% from the sum, or EUR 2.5 B.
The European Commission is to submit the TERN map, which has been technically prepared and coordinated with all of the 27 member states, to the European Parliament, where talks and discussions are to be held.
The European Parliament is expected to approve the document by end-2011 or early 2012.