Bulgaria

The Ministry of Education and Science is the primary policy-making and coordinating body for national research policy. The Ministry prepares and submits all major policy documents for approval by Parliament. In the Ministry, the main policy-making and coordination body is the National Council for Scientific Research. The Council approves all major research policy documents, including the National Strategy for Scientific Research and priorities for the National Science Fund.

The Ministries of Economy, Energy and Tourism also contributes to formulating research policies. The Ministries are responsible for developing and implementing national innovation policy, which also contains research elements. An advisory body, the National Council on Innovation, has also been established.

The National Transport Policy Directorate in the Ministry of Transport, Information Technology and Communications controls and monitors scientific, technological, standardisation and metrological activities in the transport sector. The ministry has several executive agencies that function as regulatory bodies for the individual transport modes:

• Railway Administration;
• Automobile Administration;
• Maritime Administration;
• Exploration and Maintenance of the Danube River;
• Directorate General Civil Aviation Administration.

The main strategic documents at a national level which involve alternative fuel and ‘Environmentally Friendly Vehicle’ technologies is the National Action Plan for Encouraging the Manufacture and Accelerated Market Penetration in Bulgaria of Environmentally Friendly Vehicles, including Electromobility, over the Period 2012-2014.

(Last updated: 31/08/2023)