The deputy prime minister for European funding Meglena Plugchieva stated that she and the Minister of Finance Plamen Oresharski have taken measures to strengthen the capacity of the central audit body at the Ministry of Finance. Because of the weak link there the EC returned the operational programmes for conformity evaluation with the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy and the Ministry of State Administration, Sega reports. The Commission expects highly qualified personnel to enter the audit body, as well as guarantees for its independence.

"There would be results in a week's time", Plugchieva promised. Interim payments could not start without the approved conformity evaluations.

Bulgaria had finally started signing contracts on the EU operational programmes, the deputy prime minister explained. "In the past 5 months alone there has been an increase of the contracts on EU programmes from 93 million to 1.2 billion leva" Deputy Prime Minister Meglena Plugchieva said for BNR. She made it clear that the funds on operational programmes were not threatened by freezing.

The Head of the European Anti-Fraud Office OLAF, Franz-Hermann Brüner comes on a working visit to Bulgaria this week. Plugchieva also reminded that the Prime Minister would soon have to approve the new head of the road agency. A nominee had already been appointed.