Bulgaria Mulls EU Funds Legislation

The Minister without Portfolio for the EU Funds Management, Tomislav Donchev (r), took part in a working breakfast with the Bulgarian Business Leaders' Forum titled “Effective Absorption of EU Funds through Partnership between Business and Government.” Ph

Bulgaria is aiming at having a new law for the use of EU funds by the end of 2010, Minister without Portfolio for the EU Funds Management, Tomislav Donchev, announced Tuesday.

Donchev spoke during a working breakfast with the Bulgarian Business Leaders' Forum, saying currently all procedures, applications and assessment of projects to be financed by the EU programs are regulated by decrees of the Council of Ministers.

The Minister defined the last two amendments in decrees 121 and 55 as EU funds “revolution” – a 3-month deadline for verification of payment invoices compared to the current 9 months to one year, and penalties for delayed payments.

Donchev stated he is trying to eliminate the preliminary control of public tenders as unnecessary and cumbersome, but is facing the strong opposition of 60% of local municipalities which have the misleading perception of shared responsibility through such control. For the operational program “Regional Development” for example, the control will be applied only for projects whose applicants have already committed some violations through the so-called risk analysis method.

The Minister further informs consulting services will be included in allowed expenditures in the use of the EU funds, but he would work for the creation of a list of licensed consultants in order to regulate the sector.

Currently, Bulgaria has absorbed just 4% from all operational program and has contracted 30%, Donchev informed, vowing to significantly increase these percentages by the end of the year.

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