Deputy PM Zaharieva to Meet EU Regional Commissioner Hahn

Ekaterina Zaharieva (C) with Economy Minister Vasil Shtonov (L) and Transport MInister Nikolina Agelkova. Photo by BGNES

Ekaterina Zaharieva, interim Deputy Prime Minister on economic development, is due to hold talks with European Commissioner for Regional Policy Johannes Hahn in Brussels.

Zaharieva and Hahn are to discuss financial corrections on the EU's Operational Program Environment and and also on funding in key areas of two sectors, namely tourism and urban planning, Bulgarian daily Trud has reported.

Members of the Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy at the European Commission are also to attend the meeting.

The Bulgarian delegation, for its part, is to include Transport Minister Nikolina Angelkova.

The caretaker Deputy PM, also an interim Regional Development and Investment Planning Minister, is expected to agree that procurement-related financial corrections valued at BGN 200 M be imposed on Bulgaria, but that the Commission unfreeze all other payment under the Environment OP in return.

Other BGN 50-100 M are expected under the Regional Development OP, where the EU Commission has also registered a number of flaws.

Earlier this week Iliyana Tsanova, caretaker Deputy Prime Minister on EU funding, said the imposed financial corrections which could reach BGN 300 M drew attention to the insufficient capacity of the central and local administrations, as well as other beneficiaries.

Upon a demand from President Rosen Plevneliev, the interim cabinet has accepted the idea that fines should be transferred to Brussels from the central budget, with caretaker ministers proposing that the 2014 fiscal plan be overhauled by the next Parliament.

Currently no National Assembly is acting in Bulgaria after President Rosen Plevneliev dissolved the previous one on August 6, appointing a caretaker government to be in office until a new one is formed after October 5's early elections.

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