Bulgarian officials said they are expecting Brussels to announce on Thursday the lifting of the safeguard clause against the Balkan country aviation, which was introduced shortly before its EU accession on January 1, 2007 over "grave deficiencies" in safety procedures.

"It is very likely that the European Commission scraps the safeguard clause against Bulgaria aviation today during the visit of Transport minister Petar Mutafchiev to Brussels," Zahari Alexiev, head of the Civil Aviation Administration directorate with the Transport Ministry, told Darik radio on Thursday.

Minister Mutafhiev is scheduled to confer with the European Commission Vice President and Transport Commissioner Jacques Barrot.

The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) renewed its inspections in Bulgaria at the end of November and its report will have the final say on whether to lift the restrictions on Bulgaria's airlines.

According to Zahari Alexiev most of the conclusions in the report are positive and will clear the way for lifting the restrictions.

Bulgaria received cautious indications that the outcome of the report may be positive during the visit of European Commission Vice President and Transport Commissioner Jacques Barrot at the beginning of December.

"Bulgaria's aviation has made a huge progress in comparison with last year, when the European Commission imposed on it a safeguard clause on safety concerns," Commissioner Jacques Barrot said during his visit to Sofia.

The transport commissioner was cautious in giving guarantees that as of 2008 Bulgaria's aviation will work on a par with European air companies, but generously praised the construction of the Air Traffic Control Center in the capital Sofia.

Bulgaria's commitment to step up control over flights and pilots was also singled out by Commissioner Barrot as a sign of improved aviation safety.

The safeguard clause excluded local air carriers from the benefit of being considered a "Community carrier" and they continued to operate as "third country operators" to and from member states in accordance with existing bilateral agreements. Five local cargo airlines were stripped of licence.

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