[size=85:21odsyx9]novinite 05 May 2010

EC Urged to be Vigilant with Bulgaria EU Funds

A report of the European Parliament will recommend that the European Commission be more vigilant with funding for Bulgaria.

EP's report will be released Wednesday and will review the 2008 EC budget.

It is expected to be critical of the way the Commission has monitored judicial and interior affairs in Bulgaria and Romania.

According to the report’s draft, Bulgaria still needs to enhance its EU funds management and restrict offenses.

MEPs are said to have praised the political will of the Bulgarian government to probe into corruption cases and reform the funds management system.

However, they have recommended that the EC exercises firm control and is more vigilant in monitoring the interim payments which make up for 80% of the Operational Programs EU funding.

The author of the report, Boguslaw Liberadzki, said Wednesday for BNR, that it reviews the work of the EC and is not directed at Bulgaria.

”We have made recommendations to the EC on how it should act in Bulgaria. Our intention has not been to judge Bulgaria. It is our job to take care of taxpayers’ money which is also an EC responsibility. The Commission must assist the respective country in such a way as to prevent any possible EU funds offenses. My report is critical of the work of the Commission as so far EC has not done a very good job. ”

Libedski’s report also includes criticism on the way the Commission has monitored judicial and interior affairs in Bulgaria. The report states that the Commission has not provided a clear feedback on what has been achieved in Bulgaria in these two spheres and that the EP insists on receiving information on the quality and quantity of the administrative and judicial anti-corruption changes that have been undertaken.

The report includes a separate text on Bulgaria’s Kozloduy nuclear plant in which EP demands to know how compensations have been paid for the reactors that have been closed down and that the European Court of Auditors investigate the case.

In 2009, Brussels paid Bulgaria EUR 550 M of compensations for the decommissioning of the two Kozloduy units in 2006.

It is now getting closed to receiving EUR 300 M in additional EU nuclear decommissioning aid as the EP Committee on Industry, Research, and Energy backed the EC proposal.

At the beginning of April 2010, the EP Environment Committee defeated the report of the German MEP Rebecca Harms demanding that the allocating of the EUR 300 M to Bulgaria be made conditional on its starting to build a nuclear waste storage site, and that the funds be used solely for projects related with the Kozloduy NPP.

Thus, the Bulgarian government will be able to realize its intentions to use about EUR 180 M from the decommissioning package for projects related to the technical putting out of operation of the four reactors and for social projects in the town Kozloduy, and to channel the remaining EUR 120 M into projects for renewable energy and energy efficiency.

The proposal for Bulgaria’s additional nuclear decommissioning aid of EUR 300 M still has to be passed by the entire European Parliament. The vote is scheduled for the next plenary session of the EP on May 17-20. Bulgaria is expected to get the first EUR 75 M from the package in June 2010.

Lets hope that they do listen this time and not take the p***S as they have already I think there seems to be a sort of thought by Bulgarians that all other nations are stupid and I don't know why because sooner or later they always get caught fingers crossed this