site.btaSocialists Accuse Government of Ignoring National Security by Pressing Ahead with Sofia Airport Concession Procedure

121 ECONOMY - SOFIA - AIRPORT - CONCESSION

Socialists Accuse Government of Ignoring
National Security by Pressing Ahead
with Sofia Airport Concession Procedure


Sofia, April 12 (BTA) - The Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) on Friday accused the government of ignoring national security concerns by opening the bids for a concession contract for Sofia Airport. BSP election campaign chief Georgi Svilenski noted during a news conference that the concession procedure for Sofia Airport was halted by the former caretaker government of prime minister Ognyan Gerdjikov (January-May 2017) for reasons of national security.

BSP has long argued that Sofia Airport should not be operated by a concessionaire because it is a facility of strategic importance for Bulgaria's national security and should remain under state control. The contract award procedure was restarted by the third government of Prime Minister Boyko Borissov in June 2018.

Svilenski also noted that Thursday's opening of the contract bids was carried out behind closed doors. He said: "BSP has followed the subject from the day that the government decided to give away this national asset to God knows which country. When the bids were opened yesterday, this was kept secret from you [journalists] and the Bulgarian public."

Svilenski compared the Sofia Airport case with the controversial Golden Age high-rise building project in Sofia.

He further accused the ruling GERB party of making laws in a way that legalizes corruption. He quoted correspondence which shows that a prospective concessionaire for Sofia Airport suggested that the Civil Aviation Act could be amended before the bid submission deadline. The bidder wants all future concession liabilities to be factored into the airport fees paid by the citizens. The public administration reportedly responded by saying that they will consider amending a relevant ordinance.

The "24 Chassa" daily said in its Friday issue that five consortia are concessionaire candidates for Sofia Airport, as reported by the Bulgarian Transport Ministry. The consortia are: Vitosha (the United Kingdom's Manchester Airport Group and China's BCEGI Construction); Soft Connect (France's Meridiam Eastern Europe Investments and Germany's Flughafen Munchen); SSB Sofia Airport JV (featuring Denmark's Copenhagen Airports); Fraport Bulgaria; and a consortium of France's Airports De Paris and Turkey's TAV Havalimanlari Holding. LY/VE
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