The future of the companies from the Bulgarian auto transport sector does not seem bright at all. The Bulgarian haulers were hit painfully twice which boosted their disappointment with the EU authorities. Couple of weeks ago the Bulgarian transport companies protested in front of the European Parliament in Brussels against the adoption of the Mobility 1 Package. Later, they put a TIR truck on fire in Plovdiv (Central South Bulgaria) as a sign of protest against the so-called Macron Package. But why Bulgaria’s transport sector is so worried?

Firstly, the Bulgarian Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works announced proposals concerning the future road toll fees for cargo vehicles and buses that will be introduced on August 16 this year. According to experts, the business is shocked by the latest proposals of the regional ministry, although the Bulgarian Ministry of Regional Development contends that the proposed road toll fees are the lowest in the whole EU. Meanwhile, the MEPs adopted at first reading the Mobility 1 Package which threatens the existence of the Bulgarian haulers and shipping companies. The Bulgarian haulers are supported by their colleagues from Poland, Romania, Hungary and the Baltic countries in their protest against the Macron Package.

In fact, a mixed road toll system is to be introduced in Bulgaria. The passenger vehicles will continue using electronic vignettes, while all cargo vehicles will pay toll fees. According to the plans of the Bulgarian cabinet, the revenues will increase significantly as a result of this measure, which will improve maintenance of the road infrastructure and allow construction of new roads in this country.

The road toll system in Bulgaria is developed by the Austrian company КарѕсhТrаffісСоm which has serious experience in this field. The new road toll system will cost EUR 90 million. A total of 10,800 kilometers of roads will be included in the new road toll system. All vehicles weighing 3.5 tons or above will pay road toll fees. The new toll rates will depend on the weight of the vehicles and the distance covered, as well as on the technical characteristics of the road and the environmental standard of the cargo vehicles. The annual revenues from road toll taxes are estimated at over EUR 500 million. According to the new reform, the vehicles which use the road infrastructure the most will pay highest road toll fees, the Institute for Market Economics notes. However, the the transport companies will pay much more for road toll fees than for vignettes. In other words their higher costs will affect the prices of transport services. Experts have already started calculating the prices of items and transport services after the introduction of the new road toll system. The bus companies are among the firms which show biggest discontent with the new system.

The adoption of the Mobility 1 Package at first reading also hit the Bulgarian haulers hard. Both the Bulgarian haulers and authorities are against the regulation which envisages that drivers must spend their weekly rest outside the truck cabin and return to Bulgaria once in four weeks. In a letter to the President of the European Parliament Antonio Tajani Bulgaria’s President Rumen Radev said that “the legislative amendments under the Mobility 1 Package contradict with the idea of the single European market and violate the principles of free movement of goods, people, services and capital within the EU”.

Bulgaria’s Minister of Transport, Information Technology and Communications Rosen Zhelyazkov stated in a declaration that “the European Parliament is voting entirely restrictive texts. This is yet another proof that the main purpose is to redistribute market shares, rather than improve the labor conditions of the drivers”.

This was the first time Sofia opposed openly to EU regulations, because the Bulgarian authorities believe that the new Mobility Package do not favor the national interests. Hopes for change are pinned on the new European Parliament which will be elected at the end of May this year. The Bulgarian authorities and transport companies are hoping to find a compromise decision on at least some of the texts in the Macron Package that would have negative impact on the business of the Bulgarian haulers and their colleagues from Southeast Europe and risk deepening division of the EU into a privileged, influential and rich core and poor, neglected and underdeveloped periphery.

English version: Kostadin Atanasov