(SOFIA) - The chief executive of Bulgaria's farming agency announced his resignation Wednesday after the European Commission suspended 93.5 million euros (150 million dollars) in EU agricultural subsidies.

Dimitar Tadarakov, the head of the agency which oversees subsidy payments to farmers, told a press conference that he did not feel personally responsible for "the tough situation that Bulgarian farmers were facing...."

The European Commission recommended Friday the suspension of payments on 572 projects approved under its pre-accession agricultural aid programme SAPARD, owing to "irregularities."

Corruption concerns had already prompted the freezing in March of some 40 million euros in SAPARD payments and 350 million euros in road and regional development funds.

Farming Minister Valeri Tsvetanov said Wednesday in a statement that Tadarakov could not be held responsible for problems with projects approved long before he took office.

But he added: "Tadarakov's decision to take responsibility is an important signal to our European partners that clearly shows that Bulgaria is firm on taking categorical measures to guarantee the proper use of EU money."

The EU has threatened to fully or partially suspend some 6.8 billion euros in structural and cohesion funds available to Bulgaria until 2013 if the EU newcomer fails to curb corruption and organised crime.

Brussels is scheduled to publish a new report on Bulgaria's progress on July 23.

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