Minister of Transport: By the end of 2024, Bulgaria will become a fully-fledged member of the Schengen area and the euro zone

By the end of 2024 Bulgaria will become a fully-fledged member of the Schengen area and the euro zone, Minister of Transport Georgi Gvozdeykov, told BNT on January 3.

"Schengen is an opportunity for high economic development of Bulgaria. Schengen enables quick access to goods and free travel of people," the Transport Minister said.

In his words, it was a good decision for Bulgaria to agree to Austria's conditions, even though our country was "half-admitted" to Schengen.

"Austria was the biggest opponent of Bulgaria's entry into Schengen. Each country has its internal political moods, which influence a lot, but we should still be grateful for the result", Georgi Gvozdeikov said.

He also explained the developments regarding the two ships "Verila" and "Ruen".

"The information that is available about the ship 'Verila' is that the rest of the crew have been released. The ship is still in custody. After the completion of the investigative actions the ship should return to Bulgaria. The Ruen is in Somali territorial waters, the crew is in good health, there is no threat to their lives. Most probably it is a question of money," Georgi Gvozdeykov said.

The Transport Minister assured that he will work hard in building better quality in the Bulgarian railways sector.

"The minimum wage in National Railway Infrastructure Company and Bulgarian State Railways (BDZ) will increase by nearly 20%. The submission of bids for the supply of the 8 double-decker trains should be completed by January 8. We have a clear plan for the modernization of railway transport," Georgi Gvozdeykov said.

The Transport Minister also commented on the arrival of the medical helicopter in Bulgaria.

"A team is going to Italy this month for the last acceptance of the helicopter. There are three bids for insurance. Selection of insurance is pending. Hopefully by the end of January there will be a license. The pilots and engineers have been trained. Hospitals are moving forward in building flight sites. We are ready to have the first base operational at the end of this month. The second helicopter is expected at the end of June," explained Georgi Gvozdeykov.

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Charges have been brought against two of the Bulgarian sailors on the Verila ship detained in Ireland with cocaine, the Irish media “Irish Times” reported on December 25. The charges against the two Bulgarians - 35 and 32 years old – were pressed because of the seized cocaine on board with a total value of over 20 million euros. Four other sailors out of a total of six detained in the case have been released.

The vessel was detained on December 20 in the Irish port of Foynes, County Limerick. It was carrying grain from Canada. There was a crew of 18 on board - 17 Bulgarians and one Ukrainian.