site.btaConference on Two Issue-Riddled Operational Programmes

Conference
on Two Issue-Riddled
Operational Programmes


Sofia, November 25 (BTA) - A conference dedicated to the
challenges before the EU-backed Operational Programme for
Environment and the Rural Development Programme took place here
on Tuesday. Attending were Environment Minister Ivelina
Vassileva and Regional Development Minister Liliyana Pavlova and
experts.

Speaking to journalists, Regional Development Minister Pavlova
voiced a hope that funds under the OP Regional Development will
be unblocked at the end of January. The Minister said that by
the end of November Bulgaria will meet all requirements by the
European Commission for a recheck, extrapolation, error
analysis, changes to the system and imposing a flat financial
correction. Pavlova said that Bulgaria had already invited a
team of EU auditors to look into whether all conditions have
been fulfilled so that funds under the programme are unblocked.

Environment Minister Iveilina Vassileva told journalists that
payments under the OP Environment have resumed at a normal pace.
According to information from the European Commission the first
tranche amounts to 166 million euro under the Cohesion Fund and
74 million euro under the European Fund for Regional
Development. The Minister added that efforts are made to effect
quick payments in order to reduce projected losses by the end of
the year.

Vassileva voiced a hope that the new OP Environment will be
submitted to the European Commission for approval by the end of
the week and that will be promptly approved in order to start
implementing projects from the beginning of 2015. She said that
the water sector will rely on 2.5 billion leva as much as during
the previous programming period.

For her part, Pavlova said that an estimated 11.7 billion will
be needed to improve the water sector in the next ten years
based on 51 general master plans. Pavlova said that now water
losses stand at 60 per cent because of the old network and the
lack of investments in the sector, ranging between 28 and 82 per
cent across the regions.

Pavlova said that within six months proposals will be tabled for
legislative and functional changes to the structure of the
State Energy and Water Regulatory Commission ahead of
establishing a separate waters department. The Minister said
that now the regulator tackles mainly energy issues. Following
an assessment, World Bank experts have recommended a separate
department within the regulator in charge of the water sector.
PK/PP

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