Bulgarian and Romanian businesses have joined hands in asking their two governments to lift the toll on the only bridge that connects the two countries over the Danube.

The issue was raised in March by the Bulgarian-Romanian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BRCCI) and by now, has managed to gain speed involving top-level politicians from both sides of the river and has made the European Commission come out with a position.

As the only bridge between Bulgaria and Romania over the Danube, the Rousse-Giurgiu bridge is of high value not only for bilateral relations but because it is on the Moscow-Istanbul route, serving as the main land transit point.

"It is not just that. We have discussed lifting the toll with our Romanian colleagues and we both consider them as a serious hindrance for the development of the Varna-Rousse-Bucharest region," BRCCI chairman Alexander Prokopiev told The Sofia Echo. "We are talking, not simply about the cargo traffic that goes on the bridge, but about passenger traffic as well," he said.

This was one of the reasons why the BRCCI raised the issue in March this year.

So far it has met mixed reactions from Bulgarian Government's, varying from firm refusal to a complete change of hearts.

Three cabinet ministers have entered the discussion over the Danube bridge toll so far.

First was Foreign Minister Ivailo Kalfin who is also a Deputy Prime Minister on Economy. He was forced to comment on the issue by Nikolai Mladenov, a member of the European Parliament from the opposition party Citizens for the European Development of Bulgaria (GERB), which added to the political side of the issue.

Prokopiev said he would not comment on Mladenov's involvement in the debate on the toll. "All efforts in lifting the toll are welcomed," he said. From Mladenov's actions, however, it seems that he has taken the issue very seriously.

In late April, Mladenov sent an open letter to Kalfin asking Bulgaria to lift the toll, and in doing so, giving Romania a reason to follow suit.

Mladenov also asked the European Commission in connection with the latest hike of the bridge toll by Romania from 7.14 euro a motor vehicle to 9.50 euro. Another letter was sent to National Road Infrastructure Fund (NRIF) in charge of operating the Bulgarian side of the bridge.

Mladenov received a reply regarding the first letter in May. While in Rousse, on May 12, Kalfin told reporters that Bulgaria would not take measures that would force the Romanian side to lift the toll on its side of the bridge, which in effect, meant that the toll remained in force. He was in fact quoted as saying, by Bulgarian-language Dnevnik daily, that it was the Romanian side that was against the lifting of the toll. What people in Rousse could hope for was for the state budget to cover the toll paid by the city's public transport company that makes trips to Giurgiu, Kalfin said. For the rest, the motor vehicle toll of 18 euro both ways were not that expensive, Kalfin was quoted as saying.

"I don't know how this fee of 18 euro came along, but at the moment, the driver of a heavy vehicle must pay 230 leva both ways if he wants to cross the bridge, which is a considerable amount of money," Prokopiev said.

As for the letter Mladenov sent to the EC, a reply was received soon after. The EC said that toll could be charged on bridges as long as they do not harm the free movement of people. The other condition was that the toll should cover the expenses made on the bridge maintenance, according to the so-called Eurovignette directive.

The latter is where both Prokopiev and Mladenov found grounds to ask for the abolishment of the toll. In its reply to Mladenov, the NRIF said that the money collected in 2007 from the toll on the Bulgarian side of the bridge totalled 24 370 000 leva, while the money spent on maintenance was 34 499 leva. From what the EC told Mladenov, the difference of 24 335 501 leva has been collected in breach of the Eurovignette directive. "Everyone who has taken the bridge just once can say that the bridge is far from being in perfect condition," Prokopiev said.

The NRIF did not tell Mladenov where that money went and under whose governance.

Toll are being collected all over the European Union when it comes to passing on a bridge.

Such an example is the longest border crossing bridge in the world, Oresund Bridge linking Denmark and Sweden. So, in this sense, the bridge between Bulgarian town of Rousse and Romania's Giurgiu is not an exception. "This is how things operate in other countries - whenever there is a bridge or a tunnel there are inevitably toll imposed on passengers," Kamen Kolev, deputy chairperson of Bulgarian Industrial Association, told The Sofia Echo.

`These fees, however, should cover the maintenance cost on the bridge," he said. "In the end, it is a question of bilateral relations on top-government level whether Bulgaria and Romania would decide to lift the toll."

As it has happened previously in Bulgaria, the EC's involvement in the issue led to change of positions. Kalfin no longer spoke on the subject passing the ball to Transport Minister Petar Moutafchiev.

On May 17, Moutafchiev was quoted as saying by Dnevnik that he was in favour of the lifting of the toll. After consulting Finance Minister Plamen Oresharski, Moutafchiev calculated that 10 million leva were needed for bridge maintenance over the next six years. The money could easily come from the state budget, Moutafchiev said, but did not mention what has happened with the money saved by NRIF in 2007. According to him, the bridge has already paid off as an investment giving its 50 years of history, but it was the Romanian side that needed persuasion in order Bulgaria to lift the toll.

The change of hearts for Bulgarian Government came a day after the BRCCI received the support of none other than Adrian Ciocanea, Romania's state secretary and head of Romanian government's department for European integration. In a letter sent to BRCCI, Ciocanea said that Romania was ready to lift the toll on its side of the bridge.
The toll issue topped the agenda of May 17 meeting between Bulgaria's European Integration Minister Gergana Grancharova and her Romanian counterpart Raduta Matache.

"I am happy with the Romanian side's prompt reaction [Ciocanea's letter]," Grancharova said, as quoted by Bulgarian BTA news agency. "The bridge is the only one between the two countries and the tolls make no sense in terms of free movement of people. The fewer bridges there are, the easier the means of travelling over them must be," she noted.

"We are happy that the issue was finally taken by Grancharova because, as European Integration minister, it falls under her portfolio and jurisdictions," Prokopiev said. "Now it is up to the two governments to decide. I hope they will not miss the moment."

Until the issue has been resolved, all that companies can do is wait for the second bridge over the Danube to be built. It is planned at Vidin-Calafat (north-western Bulgaria to south-western Romania) and is currently under construction. A third one, at Silistra-Calarasi (north-eastern Bulgaria to south-eastern Romania), is at the stage of blue print.