site.btaBulgaria Loses over BGN 1 Bln Annually due to Non-Admission to Schengen by Land

The Bulgarian economy loses over BGN 1 billion (over EUR 530,000) annually due to the fact that the country remains outside the Schengen area by land and trucks are held up in long lines at internal EU borders, representatives of the Plovdiv-based Union of International Hauliers (UIH) said at a BTA-hosted news conference in Sofia on Monday.

The estimate is based on data from three border crossings: Vidin-Calafat and Ruse-Giurgiu at the border with Romania and Kulata-Promachonas at the border with Greece. The loss would be greater if other border crossings were added, the UIH explained. Romania and Greece are the EU countries bordering Bulgaria.

Transport is a strategic industry which generally brings huge benefits for Bulgaria, said Nikolai Rashkov, who is on the Transport Working Group of the European Commission.

According to UIH data, trucks wait between two and 16 hours at the Bulgarian borders with the country's EU neighbours. In addition to the financial losses, Rashkov also pointed to the risks associated with heavy traffic and the physical presence of many waiting trucks. He noted the poor living conditions for truck drivers on the road and the declining popularity of their occupation.

All competent institutions should be alerted to the problems in order to avoid unnecessary expenses, said Angel Trakov of the UIH Management Board. The Union's Executive Director Yordan Arabadzhiev added that hauliers expect active assistance from all competent authorities.