Water Argument Could Lose Bulgaria BGN 3 B

Bulgaria risks losing another BGN 3 B in EU funding if it does not sort out the legal battle over the country's water utilities. Photo by wikimedia.org

The Bulgarian government has been asked to do everything possible to avoid losing an extra BGN 3 B in EU funding.

An official statement by Bulgaria's Commerce and Economic Development Bureau (CEDB) has asked the Bulgarian government to act swiftly to resolve the ownership issues of the water-supply and canalization utilities and for the reinstatement of the blocked EUR 1,5 B European subsidies for the sector.

If construction of water processing and purification plants is not initiated soon Bulgaria will have to pay a fine of EUR 5000 for every day of delayed construction procedures, Sega daily newspaper reported Monday.

The water supply sector on the other hand will need between BGN 8 B and BGN 12 B to comply with all EU regulations, CEDB representatives further revealed. The CEDB statement added that it will be unforgivable if Bulgaria loses the available European funds totaling BGN 3 B.

Currently the department headed by Dzhevdet Chakurov, Bulgaria's Minister of Environment and Water, and Asen Gagauzov, Bulgaria's Minister of Regional Development and Public Works are in a legal argument about the control of the water-supply and canalization public company ViK.

Brussels has therefore blocked a program that is worth EUR 1.5 B to Bulgaria and through which the country has already received BGN 550 M in signed contracts from Europe.

 

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