Executive director of Union of International Carriers expressed significant relief over Bulgaria's long-waited entry into Schengen

The relief is immense because we've been waiting for the news of Bulgaria's Schengen entry for years," Yordan Arabadzhiev, Executive Director of the Union of International Carriers, told BNT breakfst show on December 16.

Bulgaria becomes full memebr of Schengen zone - comments from the National Assembly

There will be several beneficial effects for Bulgarian transport, he added, and for the economy as a whole.

• Reduced waiting times: On average, drivers have waited around 16 hours at border checkpoints, which will now be eliminated.
• Positive impact on the economy: Exporters will benefit from faster transport.
• Environmental benefits: Reduced waiting times will lead to lower harmful emissions.

Arabadzhiev emphasized that they expect border checks to be removed from the checkpoints themselves and relocated to a 30-kilometer zone away from the border.

The transport sector also hopes that tolls for bridge crossings will be payable online. Additionally, there are expectations that border authorities will be moved to Turkey's border crossings, where waiting times currently reach up to five days.

"Transport is not attractive if it’s not fast. So we expect all measures that would help reduce waiting times for drivers. When will this happen? That’s for the authorities managing the processes to answer," Arabadzhiev concluded.