FM Plamen Oresharski (left) and the the Dutch ambassador to Sofia Willem van Ee (right) signed an agreement on EUR 350,000 support for disaster prevention in Bulgaria. Photo by Kameliya Atanasova (Sofia Photo Agency)
Bulgaria is to receive EUR 350,000 from the Kingdom of the Netherlands for prevention of disasters, Finance Minister Plamen Oresharski announced.
The agreement on bilateral support in the framework of the Beautiful Bulgaria programme was signed Tuesday by Oresharski and the Dutch ambassador to Sofia Willem van Ee.
The last third phase of the programme focuses on early warning of disasters and the money provided will be spent on 28 newly created coordination centres in Bulgaria's municipalities, officials declared.
The total support of the Netherlands to Bulgaria under Beautiful Bulgaria programme after the 2005 disastrous floods has reached EUR 4,750,000, Oresharski pointed out.
The Dutch diplomat said the support was in the context of the common values, solidarity and friendship existing in the EU and between the Netherlands and Bulgaria.
The agreement came one day after Bulgaria's disaster management minister Emel Etem indicated publicly that Bulgaria continues to have limited capacity in disaster response.