site.btaGovernment Considers Establishing National Disaster Prevention Fund

The opportunity to set up a multi-year national programme that would fund disaster prevention projects is being discussed as a long-term solution, it transpired at a meeting of Prime Minister Nikolay Denkov with regional governors in Bulgaria, the Government Information Service reported Friday. Also attending the meeting were Deputy Prime Minister Mariya Gabriel and Finance Minister Assen Vassilev.

The head of the Fire Safety and Population Protection Directorate General, Chief Commissioner Alexander Dzhartov, and representatives of the Environment and Water Ministry joined the discussion on the problem of disaster reaction and prevention. The regional governors are about to review the critical locations in places where there is an urgent need of funding under the interdepartmental commission on recovery and support.

On Thursday, the Minister of Finance reported that a special multi-year fund aimed at disaster prevention will be provided for in the next budget. He made the statement in relation to the floods in Tsarevo Municipality earlier this week, which took the lives of four persons and caused serious material damages.

Also within Friday's meeting, the Prime Minister and the regional governors discussed the preparations for the local elections in October. Denkov assured them that the Government will do everything within its power to provide the regional governors with the necessary working conditions. Gabriel said that mobilization is needed to ensure the elections will be held in a calm atmosphere. She put an emphasis on good coordination, full transparency of the process and accountability to citizens.

It transpired at the meeting that all resources requested by the regional governors for two rounds of elections have been provided in full. All deadlines for the preparation of the local elections are being observed.