Bulgarian Interior Minister Apologizes for ID Documents Fiasco

Tsvetan Tsvetanov, the BUlgarian Interior Minister, has promised that the system for issuing the new identity document would work properly by the end of September. Photo by BGNES

The Bulgarian Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov has apologized to all Bulgarian citizens for the inconveniences with the issuing of the new identity documents.

The minister also promised that the system would work properly by the end of September.

"The system for issuing the new identity documents should work properly by the end of September and be ready to accept applications," Tsvetanov said Friday in the Parliament.

He explained that a delay in the contract with the Germany company Siemens, signed by his predecessor Mihail Mikov, has caused the signing of an annex for extension of the initially agreed period of six months.

In Tsvetanov's words, the delivery of covers for the new documents continues to be a problem and it is Siemens' fault.

In Sofia, the covers for the ID documents have been delayed with 9 days. Other Bulgarian cities do not accept fast and express applications.

At present, Siemens is offering a modified option for the covers, which are supposed to work faster, and the Interior Ministry is checking whether they comply with all the requirements and protections.

"By August 8 we have received BGN 47 M in the Interior Ministry account for identity documents," Tsvetanov said.

He pointed out that during the summer, in a period of 42 days, the system for issuing the new documents has worked properly in the whole country only four days.

The minister also explained that until now, the number of documents issued per day has reached the number agreed in the contract, but the quality has not yet reached the required level.

"Two previous cabinets had to solve the problem with the new documents of the Bulgarian citizens and they had five years to do so. Now they critique the work of the Interior Ministry for five months, in which we had to compensate for the unfinished things for this period," Tsvetanov said.

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