Procedures worth more than €350m have been stopped or cancelled at the National Railway Infrastructure Company (NRIC), and contracts worth more than €20m have been terminated, after an audit raised suspicions of abuse. Transport minister Georgi Peev said this in a TV interview.

Checks at the state railway operator BDZ and at NRIC led to 17 cases at the European Public Prosecutor's Office. One involves suspected abuse and theft of EU funds through payments to shell companies and cash withdrawals.

Cases at BDZ that involve changes to contracts and the purchase of rolling stock have gone to the European Anti-Fraud Office. The audit results have been reported to Bulgarian and EU bodies.

Peev said some of the stopped NRIC procedures have no funding secured. In others, the terms were written so that one contractor would win. In a third group, all bids came in above the estimated price, which is not a ceiling. The minister added that there are more cases.

The government will look into what happened to the ships that sank in the Black Sea and will make the results public. Sailors are missing, and a large rescue operation was carried out to find them. Peev said their families should look at things realistically, because everything possible was done, and should trust the professionals and their efforts.

The minister said that whatever search and rescue equipment Bulgaria had, no technical means would have changed the outcome when a ship sinks so fast. Bulgaria expects a specialised search and rescue ship in 2029. It will then apply for EU funding for more such ships.

Peev does not expect provocations in Bulgarian territorial waters, even though drones have attacked merchant ships in Bulgaria's exclusive economic zone in the Black Sea. European Council conclusions say Russia is to blame for ships hit by drones in the exclusive economic zones of Bulgaria and Romania. The minister said people should stick to facts and evidence, and that any theory is possible, including that a third country made the drones.

Peev hopes for de-escalation and a quick start to peace talks between Russia and Ukraine. He said a ceasefire and talks would help the Black Sea most.

The government and North Macedonia have sped up work on Pan-European Transport Corridor VIII. Peev said relations between the two countries are good, practical and operational. He is confident that EU funding will be secured and that work will pick up speed.