site.btaFence along Bulgarian-Turkish Border Costs Some Lv 169 Mln - Deputy Interior Minister

Fence along Bulgarian-Turkish Border Costs Some Lv 169 Mln - Deputy Interior Minister

Sofia, December 9 (BTA) - Deputy Interior Minister Filip Gounev said the fence along the Bulgarian-Turkish border has cost 169,309,122 leva so far. The fence alone costs about 145 million leva and the road costs a further 24 million leva.

Earlier on Friday, Dragomir Stoynev MP of BSP-Left Bulgaria asked how much the fence cost and if it worked. Stoynev argued that it cost 250 million leva and had not been completed yet.

Gounev explained that any comparisons with an earlier stretch of the fence were irrelevant because the cost varies according to the landscape.

He said checks had been ordered to make sure prices were not inflated and taxpayers' money was well spent.

Gounev said the last 20 million leva were made available in late October for the construction of 20 km of fence in Haskovo Region along the Tundja River, plus extra funding to complete the fence and road in Bourgas Region. The last few kilometres of the fence will be completed in December, weather permitting, because the area is hard to access.

The fence has had a tangible effect because migrant pressure has dropped several fold where it is in place.