Bulgarian EU Funds Minister Envisions 70% Absorption by 2013
The Bulgarian Minister for EU Funds, Tomislav Donchev, has announced that a 70% absorption of EU funds for the period 2007-2013 was a realistic goal.
Donchev opened Monday an informational campaign, which aims at making popular the operational programs in Bulgaria and at motivating potential beneficiaries to realize their ideas through EU funding.
According to the minister, Bulgaria has so far negotiated 35% of the funding under EU programs.
He also noted that while in the summer of 2009 the settled accounts for EU funding were less than 1% of the whole sum, a year later the amount has reached 8%. This means that about EUR 628 M have gone to their beneficiaries and to Bulgarian citizens.
In Donchev's words, the informational campaign that started Monday aims at showing all future candidates that the operational programs are not charity, but a tool for development.