site.bta Regional Development Minister Meets with Hungarian Counterpart Sesztak

Regional Development Minister  Meets with Hungarian Counterpart  Sesztak

Budapest/Sofia, December 15 (BTA) - Regional Development and Public Works Minister Liliyana Pavlova  held a working meeting with Hungarian Minister of National Development Miklos Sesztak in Budapest on Tuesday. They discussed the opportunities for exchange of experience and good practices in the introduction of an electronic toll system, and the opportunities for cooperation in this and other spheres of mutual interest, Pavlova's ministry said in a press release.

In 2013, the Hungarian government decided to introduce electronic toll collection and achieved this in 2014. Pavlova told her counterpart that a month ago the Bulgarian government took the decision to introduce a mixed type of a toll system similar to Hungary's, and intends to put it into operation as quickly as possible.

The two ministers also discussed the mechanism for connecting and integrating the system with the other institutions and the introduced legislative changes that allow its non-problematic application, the press release reads. Pavlova and Sesztak agreed that the cooperation between their countries' teams will continue.

European policies also featured on the agenda of the talks. Pavlova received the support of her Hungarian counterpart for the continuation within the EU of the debate on a more focused funding of urban development policies. The Hungarian side also voiced support for the view that the focus of the EU Strategy for the Danube Region should be on the 14 countries along the river.

There is an initiative within the EU that countries from the Carpathian Region should join the EU Strategy for the Danube Region and take advantage of its financial resource. Sesztak assured his Bulgarian counterpart that she can rely on support also in this direction.

Pavlova and her delegation paid a working visit to Hungary's National Toll Payment Services, where they were acquainted with the toll system's functioning and operation.