SOFIA, March 18 (MENA) - Bulgarian Transport Minister Grozdan Karadjov has met with EU Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism Apostolos Tzitzikostas on the sidelines of an informal EU Transport Council meeting in Warsaw, Poland, the Transport Ministry in Sofia reported Tuesday.

They discussed the organization of a ministerial conference hosted by Bulgaria's Transport Ministry to accelerate transport connectivity projects along the North-South axis, according to the Bulgarian News Agency.

"We will invite to Sofia all the countries of the Baltic Sea-Black Sea-Aegean Sea corridor and the European Commission to focus on the challenges of insufficient bridges, tunnels, missing rail and road sections and those with insufficient capacity. This is a significant obstacle to smooth passage of freight and goods, and it is important to speed up the construction of the missing sections," Karadjov said.

"Investments in dual-use infrastructure are crucial for strengthening economies and security," said the Bulgarian transport minister during the first session of the informal meeting.

He stressed that future programs should integrate these projects into their criteria and that procurement rules for them should be simplified. "Connecting Europe Facility funding for military mobility should be increased without cutting funds for transport," Karadjov added.

In the panel on cyber security in transport, he said that it is crucial to strengthen strategic cooperation between Member States, competent authorities and industry. "Sharing information, applying European best practices and jointly developing innovative solutions will be crucial to minimize risks," Karadjov said. (MENA)

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