Just over half of the EUR 2 B slated for Bulgaria under EU Operational Program "Transport" for 2007-2013 have been contracted, the Bulgarian Transport Ministry announced.

Projects for a total of EUR 1.07 B, or 54% of the total amount, that Bulgaria is supposed to receive from the Transport operational program from the EU by 2013 have already been approved.

A total of EUR 195 M have of this sum have already been paid to the respective beneficiaries, Bulgaria's Deputy Transport Minister Ivaylo Moskovski announced during an international expo for EU projects in Sofia entitled "Europe for US".

Moskovski stressed four big infrastructure projects funded under the EU transport program are being realized, including three large-scale ones, i.e. EUR 50 M.

"The ambitious goals that we have set for ourselves are to contract in full the funds for railway projects by the middle of 2011," he said.

At present the Ministry of Transport is holding 12 construction and construction supervision tenders worth a total of EUR 900 M. These include:

Modernization of the Septemvri-Plovdiv railway, part of the Sofia-Plovdiv railway;

Reconstruction and electrification of the Dimitrovgrad-Svilengrad railway (three tenders);

Purchase of equipment and trains for the expansion of the Sofia Metro (three tenders);

Construction tender for the route from Kardzhali to Podkova on the Bulgarian-Greek border;

Construction and construction supervision of the Trakiya Highway, 22 km section (four tenders);

Design, construction, and construction supervision of the Struma Highway, Lot 1 (two tenders);

Purchase and establishing of an "Information System for Traffic Management of Shipping Vessels";

The "Europe for Us" expo in Sofia will take place until May 15, 2011, in the National Palace of Culture; it will present all EU operational programs. The expo is organized by the Bulgarian Economy Forum, Bulgarian EU Funds Minister Tomislav Donchev, and the EC Representation in Sofia.