THE TRIPLE COALITION WORRIES ABOUT EU FUNDS PROBLEMS

EU funds absorption problems are very serious - this has been one of the conclusions made during the today's extended meeting of the Triple Coalition Council, as Dnevnik newspaper found out.

The forum is attended by the leadership of BSP, NDSV and DPS (MRF), ministers, chairpersons of parliamentary groups, as well as parliamentary committees' chairmen from the majority. Its main theme shall be the updated government's policy. In the beginning of the meeting the agenda was changed and the discussion started with the EU funds issue.

According to the EU funds information presented by the speakers, the new Deputy Prime Minister Meglena Plugchieva and the Minister of Finance Plamen Oresharski, The European Commission has serious criticism over the government's actions in respect of the control over EU funds absorption. Brussels expressed favourable opinion only with regards to the work of the Ministry of State Administration and the Customs, elsewhere the situation was tragic. Among the problems, pointed by Meglena Plugchieva, was also the fact that some state employees acted rudely and even superciliously while communicating with the EuroAdministration.

During the discussion that followed, it became clear that the European Anti-fraud Office (OLAF) was continuing to express its discontent over the exculpation of the businessman Luidmil Stoikov, CEO of Ladimex Holding, owner of Duni Royal Resort and shareholder in Stomana Industry S.A. Last year during a special joint operation on the territory of Bulgaria, Germany and Switzerland OLAF established a subsidy fraud under the EU-funded SAPARD programme estimated at 7.5 million euros. Among the arrested in Bulgaria was the businessman from Pernik who is one of the sponsors of the election campaign of the president Georgi Purvanov for his second mandate. In February Sofia Appelate Court found almost all of the defendants not guilty.

"Things have reached a point where, if we do not take exigent measures, a new scandal is coming, much more serious than the one in the Ministry of Interior ", commented unofficially a politician from the Majority.

"The government admits that there are a lot of serious doubts over the assimilation of EU funds, as well as problems with the counteraction against crime and corruption. It is going to be really hard to take actions and accomplish results which will convince Bulgarian citizens and Member States that we have overcome the faults but this is a matter of joint work", said Gergana Grancharova, Minister of European Affairs.

During the discussion it was agreed that AFCOS - Bulgaria /Council Coordinating the Fight against the Infringements Affecting the Financial Interests of the European Communities/ should become subordinate to the Deputy Prime Minister Meglena Plugchieva. Until now the Bulgarian unit which cooperates with OLAF was presided by the Minister of Interior.