/ world today news/ Five months after Prime Minister Boyko Borisov announced that the European Commission was unfreezing payments under the Operational Program “Environment” 2007-2013, there are practically no indications of tranches from the EU budget to the Bulgarian treasury. This is clear from a comparison between the monthly statements that the government publishes on the Single Information Portal of the EU Structural Funds.
The records show that as of November 30, 2014, two weeks after the EC announced that it was reimbursing OPE payments, Bulgaria‘s refunds since the beginning of the old program period were 37.4% or €548,439,166. As of December 19, 2014, the OPE funds reimbursed by the EC to the Bulgarian budget already amount to 577,700,269 euros or 39.4% of the total amount of the program. From the latest report on the implementation of the European programs, published yesterday on the eufunds.bg website and up to date on March 31, 2015, the funds recovered by the EC under OPE continue to be 577 million euros and 39.4%.
It is clear from the reports that the projects that are financed under the environmental European program from the old program period – construction of waste landfills and replacement of the water supply network in a number of municipalities, continue to be implemented, but with funds from the state budget. The tables show that as of November 30, 2014, 1.2 billion euros were paid to the beneficiaries (mainly municipalities), which represents 66.72% of the program’s budget. As of March 31, 2015, the money that the construction contractors of municipal landfills and “water cycles” have already received is 1.427 billion euros or 79.28%.
The financing of the projects with money from the budget, despite the fact that Brussels has apparently delayed the recovery of funds, is taking place, since at the end of 2015 all construction activities should be finalized. Those projects that are not completed before the end of the program period will lose the European funding and the finishing works will be paid for from the budget. From the end of 2013 to the end of 2014, OP “Environment” was frozen by the EC due to systemic violations in public procurement and the management of the program in the period 2010-2013. Because of the violations, the country agreed to recognize the imposition of a financial correction of 156 million BGN
According to the report dated March 31, 2015, the EC recognized Bulgaria as having absorbed 71.60% of the money from all European funds for the program period that started on January 1, 2007. As of February 28, 2015, this percentage was 68.33%. If the rate of recovery of funds from the EC is maintained in the coming months, our country may be able to finalize the first program period in which it receives European money with an absorption rate of about 85%.
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