Brussels Unfreezes EUR 1,25 B for Bulgaria's Roads
The European Commission has decided to unfreeze a total of EUR 1,25 B for the improvement of Bulgaria's dilapidated roads, after blocking part of them last year following corruption charges against the former head of the state-owned infrastructure fund.
The Regional Development General Directorate with the European Commission has sent a letter to the National Road Infrastructure Agency, giving the green light to the signing of contracts under operative programmes.
The announcement was made on Thursday by the head of the agency supervisory board Ivan Atanassov.
According to him the funds have been unblocked in recognition of the progress made by the infrastructure agency.
A total of EUR 1 B has been unblocked under the "Transport" Operative Programme, while another EUR 25 M will come under the "Regional Development" Operative Programme.
The controversy, which broke out following an investigation by the newspaper Kapital, led to the freezing of the EUR 723 M earmarked to improve Bulgaria's dilapidated roads. The company former head Vesselin Georgiev was charged with awarding contracts worth tens of millions of levs to companies run by two of his brothers.
The fund was consequently restructured into a National Road Infrastructure Agency.
The European Commission unfroze in the middle of May some EUR 115 M in aid for Bulgaria in what has been seen as a pre-election image boost for the ruling Socialists.
The unfrozen money came from ISPA pre-accession programs for infrastructure projects, which aim to improve Bulgaria's dilapidated roads. Funds from a technical assistance program for acceding countries and for agriculture remained suspended.
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