site.btaAssistance to Be Provided to Bulgarian Businesses when Applying with Projects under Juncker Plan - Deputy PM Kuneva

Assistance to Be Provided  to Bulgarian Businesses when Applying  with Projects under Juncker Plan - Deputy PM Kuneva

Sofia, April 30 (BTA) - Internet platforms or direct advising
centres will assist businesses when applying with projects under
 the so called Juncker Plan, said Deputy Prime Minister for
European Policy and Institutional Affairs Meglena Kuneva here on
 Thursday after meeting business representatives. The topics
discussed during the meeting, organized by the Bulgarian
Business Leaders Forum, focused on the Juncker Plan and
Bulgaria's Schengen accession.

The Bulgarian Development Bank and the Economy Ministry will
play a key role in the establishment of the advising centres,
Kuneva explained. The sharing of experience from approved
projects is very important and there are also plans to exchange
information on a European level through a special online
platform, she went on to say.
Kuneva noted that the European Investment Bank will sort out
projects, where 10 euro of value added will be generated from
every euro invested. 

The Juncker Plan does not have a deadline, after which projects
will not be approved anymore, the Deputy PM said, stressing that
 the Plan is for the private business sector and the State's job
 is to provide full information and facilitate the process of
applying with projects and getting them approved. She explained
that the legislation will be ready by June and the application
process will start. "I suppose that projects from the IT sector
will be among the first ones to make it through," Kuneva
commented. She noted that a very good Public Procurements Act
will have to be drafted, along with amendments to the
Public-private Partnership Act.

Commenting the possibility for Bulgaria's faster Schengen
accession, Kuneva said that the sharing of information with
Europol and Eurojust has been going on successfully for many
years and there are no reasons for Bulgaria to agree for its
Schengen accession to be postponed. There will be councils of
the ministers of interior and foreign affairs in June and
October, Kuneva said, voicing hope that Bulgaria will get a
clear commitment regarding its Schengen accession during one of
these councils.