Alexander Tsvetkov outlined three main priorities on July 27 2009 in his first media appearance as Bulgaria’s new Transport Minister.

He entered the ministry about an hour and a half after he was sworn in at the National Assembly accompanied by his predecessor, Petar Moutafchiev, who introduced him to Moutafchiev's former staff, promising they will always be by his side.

Tsvetkov said that he would work towards full recovery of Brussels’ trust in Bulgaria, streamlining the implementation of EU programmes and lending businesses a helping hand to guide them through the economic crisis.

Echoing the pledges of Bulgaria's new Prime Minister Boiko Borissov, Tsvetkov ruled out political retaliation, noting that first a review needs to be carried out on what has been done so far before any action could be taken regarding possible violations.

Before singling out the segment that has borne the brunt of the economic downturn and will therefore need government support, Tsvetkov said that an analysis needs to be done. He will also try to revamp the government car fleet but again, this would be preceded by a comprehensive analysis.

Moutafchiev said that he passed down to his successor a balanced budget where money had been saved to the maximum and expenses had been slashed.

The Transport Ministry will have a new name, adding information technology to become Ministry of Transport, Information Technology and Communications. The change of name reflects the merger of the State Agency for Information Technologies and Communication into the ministry.

Source: Dnevnik.bg