Bulgarian MEP: After US Sanctions EU May Well Suspend Funds for Bulgaria
The US sanctions under the Magnitsky Act imposed on six Bulgarians, including Delyan Peevski and Vasil Bozhkov, will have an impact on European policy approach to Bulgaria.
The Bulgarian Minister for EU Funds, Tomislav Donchev, is “an energetic and natural man, who is not into caprices that are so characteristic about the men in power”, according to a rather positive article by the Austrian Daily “Die Presse”.
“I hope that my position will soon be redundant,” Donchev said in the interview for the article, which also describes him as trustworthy, critical of himself, but also confident.
For the Austrian Daily, Donchev's position is unusual. The newspaper describes it as a title that does not make a person proud, but rather obliges him to do his job.
The article goes on to explain the need of a minister for EU funds because they have been stopped during the ruling of the previous government.
“Die Press” says that the former Bulgarian Prime Minister Sergey Stanishev has tried “to help himself” by appointing the former Bulgarian Ambassador to Germany, Meglena Plugchieva, as a Deputy PM, in charge of EU funds absorption (2008-2009).
However, the article says, the bad performance of the previous cabinet reflected on the government elections. Bulgaria's current government appointed Donchev as EU funds Minister in March 2010, in order to improve the largely stalled and problematic absorption of EU money.
“For Donchev, the irregularities that happened during ruling of the previous cabinet are still a problem: “There were huge delays in some projects. They now need to be finished extremely quickly,” the newspaper says.
“Die Press” also pays attention to Donchev's history as a mayor.
“As a former mayor of the Bulgarian town of Gabrovo, he is aware of the situation there and knows that many municipalities, especially the financially small ones and the ones with personal deficits, lack know-how and resources, in order to apply for EU projects,” the article says.
In the interview, Donchev does not hide the nostalgia he feels about this time of his life.
“That was a job that never ended. But it was more real and more reliable,” he says for the Austrian Daily.
We need your support so Novinite.com can keep delivering news and information about Bulgaria! Thank you!
Bulgaria's Minister of Defense Todor Tagarev admitted the possibility that an explosive device might have been planted on board the crashed plane in which Yevgeny Prigozhin was traveling
The European Commission has announced that it is preparing criminal proceedings against Bulgaria, Cyprus, Greece, Malta, and Portugal for incorrect application of the rules on the exchange of data on criminal records and the establishment of the relevant
The European Commission has started an evaluation of the Plan for Reconstruction and Development of Bulgaria, said the spokesman of the European Commission Eric Mamer. The document was submitted to the Commission on 15 October.
58% of Bulgarians do not support the introduction of the euro as the official currency in the country. This shows a study prepared by Trend agency specifically for the financial forum NEXT DIFI 2021, organized by b2b Media for the fifth year. The data dur
Too late Bulgaria began to explain its own position towards North Macedonia, as it should have been clear to our European partners some time ago.
An SPD-led government in Germany has significant potential to sharpen international attention to the problems of corruption in Bulgaria.
UN Happiness Report: Bulgaria's Astonishing Leap in Rankings
Bulgaria: 3 Regions With Lowest Life Expectancy - EU Report 2022