Bulgaria Allows New Delay in Selection of Auditor of Agricultural Subsidies

Bulgaria may lose a part of a total of over EUR 1.3 B in EU subsidies for agriculture paid by the state due to yet another delay in the selection of an external auditor.

The current situation seems to be a repeat of the last-minute selection of Deloitte Bulgaria as a certifying authority for the EU subsidies for agriculture paid in the period October 2013 - October 2014.

In December 2014, Deloitte Bulgaria, which offered the lowest price, won the direct agreement procedure after a series of unsuccessful public procurement procedures.

Deloitte Bulgaria had only two months to check the legality of payments worth a total of BGN 1.66 B, according to reports of dnevnik.bg.

Bulgaria is currently seeking an auditor for a period starting in October 2014 and the competition has not been announced yet.

According to a statement of the authorities in charge of the matter, they are working on the preparation of a transparent procedure for the selection of a new auditor.

According to calculations of dnevnik.bg, Bulgaria may have a certifying authority for agricultural subsidies by the end of the first half of 2015 under the best-case scenario.