On 13 May 2011 EU Funds Minister Tomislav Donchev unveiled the first edition of the international exhibition, Europe for Us. Attending were Hungarian Ambassador in Sofia Judith Lang, the Head of the European Commission Representation in Bulgaria, Zinaida Zlatanova and Deputy Minister of Transport, Information Technologies and Communications Ivailo Moskovski.
Ivailo Moskovski presented the implementation of OP Transport.
Projects amounting to 1.070 milliard EUR have been approved so far under Operational Programme Transport, which is 54%t of the programme's budget, Ivailo Moskovski said. Funding paid out to beneficiaries amounts to 195 million EUR, or around 10% of the programme's budget. Four infrastructure projects are being implemented, of which 3 big (exceeding the value of 50 million EUR), Moskovski explained.
"The ambitious programme we have set for ourselves is for the financing for the railway projects to be fully negotiated by mid-2011," the Deputy Minister said. Twelve procedures for building and construction control of seven projects are being conducted at a total estimated value of around 900 million EUR. These are:
- Upgrading of the Septemvri-Plovdiv section of the Sofia-Plovdiv railway line;
- Upgrading and electrification of the Dimitrovgrad-Svilengrad section (3 positions);
- Three tender procedures for the supply of equipment and rolling stock for Stage II of the Sofia underground extension project;
- Procedure for construction under the Kurdjali - Podkova project;
- Four procedures for construction and construction supervision within the project, Construction of Maritsa Motorway, from 50th to 72th km;
- Two tender procedures for additional design and construction and for construction supervision of Lot 1 of Strouma Motorway;
- Tender procedure for supply and construction of an Information System for Management of the Traffic of Vessels - stage 3.
Europe for Us was held from 13 to 15 May 2011 15 in the garden in front of the National Palace of Culture and all operational programmes in Bulgaria were presented at an individual stall. OP Transport also had its stall, where everyone interested was able to receive materials and information about the operational programme.