Bulgaria Contracted over EUR 16 B of EU Funding by April 2009

Bulgaria's Deputy PM Plugchieva has admitted the country could have benefited more from its EU membership. Photo by BGNES

Bulgaria contracted over EUR 16 B of EU funding under all European Union programs for the period from 2000 until April 2009.

This was announced Tuesday by Meglena Plugchieva, Bulgaria's Deputy Prime Minister in charge of EU funds absorption during her annual report.

According to the data Plugchieva presented, between 2000 and April 2009, Bulgaria received a total of EUR 2,66 B of direct payments under all EU programs, including the three pre-accession programs, PHARE, SAPARD, and ISPA.

Plugchieva explicitly stressed the fact that Bulgaria was not a donor of the EU because for the period from 2007 until April 30, 2009, the country received a total of EUR 1,87 B of EU funding whereas during the same period it contributed about EUR 844 M to the EU budget.

Thus, from January 2007 until April 2009, Bulgaria had a net positive balance of EUR 974 M of EU funding.

"We cannot claim that we have achieved the maximum. I hope that the tough experience that we've had would help us learn our lessons and stick to the rules. We had a crisis in EU money absorption, we have overcome it, we have made progress, and now we just need to keep up with the same efforts", Plugchieva said admitting Bulgaria could have and should have benefited more from its EU membership.

 

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