Send to Kindle
The concessionaire of Sofia Airport will be able not to pay the state the annual fees for ten years.
This amendment to the concession contract of our largest airport approved the government on the proposal of the Minister of Transport Rossen Zheliazkov.
Zheliazkov pointed out that the postponement does not mean remission of future payments, and that this month the state will receive BGN 660 million in initial revenue from the concessionaire:
"We currently have a signed concession contract that is legally valid and binding. All the themes, these ideas, the statements, dabbling in politics with a moratorium on something that is already a fact, is legal nihilism and state voluntarism.
Whoever wants to, in the next government can proceed to terminate the contract and bear all the consequences of this, but will have to answer the following question - and this must be answered by statesmen - why does anyone want to damage the revenue part of the budget now and immediately with 660 million with VAT, which revenue is defined by the BNB as a risk if the initial concession fee is not received," the Transport Minister said.
The transport minister explained the amendment proposed by reduced passenger traffic because of the cornavirus restrictions on travel.
Minister Zheliazkov justified the change in contract with the severe economic situation because of the pandemic, but also announced that with today's decision it is possible to recover the annual payments earlier.
"The restoration of the balance of the concession boils down only to putting on hold the payment - it is not a remission nor a reduction, but a postponement, that is, we will at any time monitor the restoration of the economic balance", said Rossen Zheliazkov.
Yesterday BSP leader Korneliya Ninova announced at a briefing that at today's cabinet sitting it will be voted to de-schedule payments by the concessionaire of the airport for a period of 10 years, but he will receive fees and dividends for his activities.
Preliminary data from the National Statistical Institute (NSI) show that Bulgaria employed 3,726,500 people in the third quarter of 2025
In Bulgaria, the common perception that investing is reserved for the wealthy remains widespread, but recent analysis by Freedom24 shows that households can begin investing with modest amounts of 50–100 BGN (approximately €25–50) per month
From December 1, pensions in Serbia rose by 12.2%, bringing the average pension for retirees to 485 euros
The three leading telecommunications operators in Bulgaria inject more than 640 million BGN (≈327 million EUR) annually into the development of networks and services
A series of non-working days is approaching around Christmas and New Year
Farm Sense AD, a long-standing agribusiness company based in the Dobrudja region, has initiated bankruptcy proceedings in the Sofia City Court
A Russian-flagged tanker, identified as the KAIROS, has run aground near the Bulgarian coast close to Ahtopol following a drone attack by Ukraine in the Black Sea
Nearly 60% of the pork available on the Bulgarian market comes from domestic producers
Financial expert Max Baklayan has warned that the main risk in Bulgaria’s transition to the euro is not the exchange rate, but the increased likelihood of counterfeit currency
On the occasion of International Migrants’ Day on December 18, migrant business owners in Sofia released a Manifesto of Foreign Entrepreneurs in Bulgaria
The Governing Council of the Bulgarian National Bank (BNB) has granted preliminary approval to Bulgarian-American Credit Bank AD (BACB) to acquire a controlling stake in Tokuda Bank EAD
Economist Dimitar Chobanov has warned that the current policies are pushing Bulgaria’s budget toward a structural deficit that is already becoming apparent
Bulgaria's Strategic Role in the EU's Drone Wall Defense Initiative
When Politics Means Violence
