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Bulgaria seeks to double use of EU funds in 2012

13 January 2012, 16:43 CET
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(SOFIA) - EU's poorest newcomer Bulgaria managed to make use of just 20 percent of its European aid funds last year but aims to double that in 2012, EU Funds Management Minister Tomislav Donchev said Thursday.

"We wrapped up 2011 with payments on the seven operational programmes worth three billion leva (1.5 billion euros, $2 billion), or almost 20 percent of the available funds," Donchev told a press conference.

A total of 10.3 billion leva, or over 65 percent of the funds, were also negotiated with beneficiaries on different projects but had yet to be paid out, he added.

"This sum total for 2011 equals all the money paid for the whole period between 2007 and 2010. There is no better proof that we can make it," he added.

Bulgaria joined the European Union in 2007 but the country's failure to prevent fraud and guarantee transparent use of EU funds cost it the loss of millions of pre-accession subsidies in 2008.

Corruption concerns have also severely delayed the start of operational aid programmes, with eight billion euros earmarked to improve regional development and infrastructure as well as to boost competitiveness and administrative capacity by 2013.

"For 2012, we will not be contented with achieving just a small rise in payments. We need to double them," Donchev said.

"I expect to close the year with 90 percent negotiated money and payments of 38 to 40 percent of the entire available resources... We will struggle to achieve this result and I am certain we can do it," he added.

Donchev expressed hopes that Bulgaria's improved results and better image will help it negotiate to receive approximately the same amount of aid for the next programme period between 2014 and 2020.


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