site.btaRoad Transport Administration Has No Business Being on Roads, Minister Karadjov Says

In an interview with bTV on Sunday, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport and Communications Grozdan Karadjov said that Road Transport Administration (RTA) "has no business being on the roads." 

"We are eliminating this inspectorate. They will no longer be on the roads. They will no longer carry out checks, and that is the end of the discussion," Karadjov said. In his words, the Interior Ministry is capable of taking over the road inspection duties currently performed by the road transport inspectors.

He added that the supervisory responsibilities required of road transport authorities across Europe will remain under the RTA. The Minister noted that work is already underway on a proposal for legislative amendments, which may be ready by the end of next week and could be reviewed by the National Assembly by the end of the year.

Karadjov commented on a case involving two inspectors from the RTA, accused of soliciting and receiving bribes from transport operators carrying equipment for Robbie Williams' concert in Sofia on September 28. The Minister admitted once again that he had underestimated the scale of corruption.

"In the eight months since the new administration leadership took over, ten employees have been dismissed. We have received alerts from industry firms complaining of harassment, extortion, or demands for bribes - the so-called ‘peace tax’. We have investigated these alerts," he said. "However, we have no legal grounds for prosecution. We fire them," Karadjov added.

Commenting on the recent floods along the Black Sea coast, the Minister said: "We keep making the same mistakes. On one hand, it is greed - overbuilding to maximize profit. On the other, it is a lack of control. In this particular case, I want to see how all those houses and that entire settlement got permits from the river basin authority to be built along the gully."

Karadjov also said that postal workers are currently undergoing training in preparation for the currency exchange process when Bulgaria adopts the euro on January 1, 2026. He noted that the necessary security arrangements for post offices have been made in coordination with the Interior Ministry.