site.btaEC Vice President Georgieva Discusses Commission's New Bln 315 Euro Investment Plan with President Plevneliev, PM Borissov

EC Vice President Georgieva
Discusses Commission's New Bln 315 Euro Investment Plan
with President Plevneliev, PM Borissov


Sofia, November 28 (BTA) - European Commission (EC) Vice
President and Budget and Human Resources Commissioner Kristalina
Georgieva conferred here on Friday with President Rosen
Plevneliev and Prime Minister Boyko Borissov.

Among the topics discussed were the EC's 315 billion euro
Investment Plan, recently announced by EC President Jean-Claude
Juncker, which aims to get Europe growing again and get more
people back to work.

"The Investment Plan is a complex instrument and we must learn
how to work with it," Plevneliev said after the meeting. The
Plan will provide guarantees for sensible projects, which meet
strategic priorities and are of national and European
significance, and where private capital can be attracted, the
President explained.

Plevneliev and Georgieva discussed the true benefits for
Bulgaria from this Plan. The President said they have agreed
that this country must be active and provide to the EC concrete
projects which meet the strategic priorities.

Georgieva congratulated Borissov for succeeding in forming a
Government under uneasy circumstances, adding that this way he
spared Bulgaria the risk of entering an even more serious
political crisis.

There is enough money in Europe, it is no coincidence that the
European Central Bank has introduced negative interest rates for
some of the deposits, the EC Vice President said. There are
interesting projects for Bulgaria in the fields of energy
efficiency. The Government promised to retrofit buildings, so
that the value of people's properties can increase and heating
bills decrease, she said. The Investment Plan's four main
priorities are infrastructure, energy efficiency, Europe's
digital market and investing in innovations, which is
exceptionally important for Bulgaria, Georgieva said. The Fund
is divided into two parts - one for big companies and the other
for SMEs.

EC President Juncker and Prime Minister Borissov will confer in
Brussels on December 4, Georgieva said after her meeting with
Borissov. PK/MY

/МЙ/