The Minister of Regional Development and Public Works, Arch. Ivan Shishkov, is taking unprecedented steps to address the chaos on the Black Sea coast. During a key meeting with the tourism industry in Nessebar on Friday, September 4, 2026, he requested the road infrastructure in “Sunny Beach“ to be transferred to the municipality of Nessebar, and the water supply network to be completely under the management of the state water supply company. According to him, the current model, in which the state joint-stock company manages the assets without clear efficiency, has officially ended.
Minister Shishkov was categorical that uncontrolled construction is the main reason for the outflow of tourists in our large resorts. “It is time for everyone in this country to know who are those who do not want the law to be implemented“, he said, warning that he will publicly announce the shareholders in “Sunny Beach“ AD who are trying to block the reform. More details about the statements from the briefing are reflected on the official website of the Bulgarian National Radio (BNR) – bnrnews.bg.
In parallel with the reforms in governance, the regional minister gave important promises for the construction of the “Black Sea“ motorway. An EIA procedure is currently underway for the section between Burgas and Varna, and it is expected that the assignment of the conceptual design, environmental assessments and the development plan for the entire route to the borders with Romania and Turkey will begin within a few months. The government program envisages that the project will be ready within a year and a half, after which the highway will be built by granting a concession to a private investor.
In response to accusations from former Minister Nikolay Nankov regarding bonuses distributed in the regional ministry, Shishkov defended his administration. He confirmed that employees had received additional remuneration, but they were smaller than before. “Salaries in the administration are not high enough. If we want highways, someone has to work on them“, he argued.