EU Commission Dismisses Reports of Frozen EU Funding to Bulgaria

Agricultural payment to Bulgaria continues on a regular basis, with a "very small" part of the total being unavailable for the moment, the European Commission has said.

Brussels is now discussing with Sofia the issue of the very tiny portion of EUR 2.3 B that are to be allocated to the country betweeen for the 2014-2020 under the EU's Rural Development Program, Daniel Rosario, Commission spokesperson for agriculture, is quoted as saying the EC's representatives office in Bulgaria.

Rosario's remarks follow a dispute between Agricultural Minister Desislava Taneva (with main ruling party GERB siding with her) and the opposition Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP). The latter accused Taneva on Tuesday of hiding a letter send by the Commission that allegedly indicated the country would lose some EUR 0.55 B in EU funding due to violations.

"Those amounts whose payment is deferred will be paid at a later stage" if no irregularities are found following talks between Bulgaria and EU officials, the statement goes on.

No mention is made of specific amounts, but "the sums in question are significantly lower than what was presented in some media outlets."

We need your support so Novinite.com can keep delivering news and information about Bulgaria! Thank you!