Bulgaria Rebuts EU Is Mulling Direct Management of Funds

Bulgaria's Minister for the Management of the EU Funds, Tomislav Donchev. Photo by BGNES

Bulgaria's Foreign Affairs Minister, Nikolay Mladenov, firmly rejected reports that the European Commission plans to directly manage regional funds in Greece, Bulgaria and Romania.

Mladenov commented in connection with an article published Wednesday in Euractiv, quoting German liberal MEP from Greek descent, Jorgo Chatzimarkakis, saying Bulgaria, Greece and Romania may prompt the EU to enforce a long-term reform program aimed at dealing with corruption and dubious political practices.

The Bulgarian Foreign Minister called the report "non-sense," pointing out that EC would inform Bulgaria directly about any such plans, and appealed "to not fetishize everything that is said or written somewhere."

Mladenov says cooperation between the cabinet and the EC at the moment is excellent and the Minister for the Management of the EU Funds, Tomislav Donchev, is working with the Commission on a daily basis, leading to great results.

Minister Donchev further firmly rebutted the report about EC directly managing EU funds in the three countries, explaining that he had held a working meeting with the EU Regional Policy Commissioner, Johannes Hahn, just days ago and the latter had not mention any such thing.

Donchev also informed that in the next 2-3 weeks Bulgaria is to receive the EC approval on funding expert help from international financial institutions in improving the absorption of EU funds, which has been requested by the cabinet.

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