site.btaMoldova Plans to Import Buses from Varna for the Bulgarian Community

The Moldovan government is considering a draft law to exempt from taxes and customs fees the import of five Mercedes buses destined for the Bulgarian community in the country. The initiative was submitted to Parliament by MP Natalia Davidovic on October 17, according to a document published by the tuk.md newspaper.

According to the explanatory note, the buses will be provided as a donation by the local government of Varna, Bulgaria, and will be used to transport students and cultural collectives in the regions of Taraclia, Cantemir and the village of Parkani in Transnistria. The aim is to support participation in cultural, social and sporting events, while strengthening the links between the institutions on both sides.

The draft law has received the support of the government, but edits are recommended for better legal precision. In addition, all participants in the donation should be specified to avoid complications in customs processing.

The introduction of these vehicles is expected to improve mobility and strengthen cultural cooperation between the Bulgarian community in Moldova and Bulgarian donors.

According to the data of the National Bureau of Statistics of Moldova from 2014, the number of ethnic Bulgarians in Moldova is about 54,000 people, which represents 1.9% of the population of the country (2,804,801 people). The largest number of them live in the Taraclia region. The Bulgarian community can also be found in the Autonomous Territorial Entity of Gagauzia, as well as in the Cahul, Cantemir and Leova regions.