site.btaParliament Backs Four Roads Act Bills on Safety, Tolls, and Data Access at First Reading

Parliament approved on Thursday four bills amending the Roads Act at first reading. The proposals were submitted by Kostadin Kostadinov (Vazrazhdane), the Council of Ministers, Nikolay Nankov (GERB-UDF), and Bozhidar Bozhanov (Continue the Change–Democratic Bulgaria).

The government’s bill aims to align Bulgarian legislation with an EU directive on charges for heavy goods vehicles using certain infrastructure. It introduces new definitions for “usage fee” and “toll fee,” with the latter including external costs related to air pollution, congestion, and decarbonisation.

The GERB-UDF proposal by Nankov seeks to improve information exchange between the Road Infrastructure Agency and the Ministry of Finance’s administrative bodies, including the National Revenue Agency and the Customs Agency. It grants access to vehicle crossing data and images from the Electronic Toll Collection System.

Bozhanov’s bill focuses on data protection rules for the Road Infrastructure Agency’s systems, such as traffic counting cameras and the toll system. It defines what data is stored, retention periods, deletion procedures, and which authorities can access it—including the Customs Agency and the Executive Agency “Automobile Administration”.

Kostadinov’s proposal introduces measures for a safer road environment. It addresses the responsibility of road owners and maintenance authorities for infrastructure deficiencies and requires the State to install lighting at numerous intersections and junctions across the country.