In July Bulgaria had up to a billion euros of EU funding suspended over corruption fears.
In July Bulgaria had up to a billion euros of EU funding suspended over corruption fears. The result has been that a whole array of projects - from road building to job creation - have stopped. MEPs from the budget and regional committees have recently been in Bulgaria to see the state of corruption and the impact of the freeze.
“High-ranking people must be put on trial”
The head of the Budget delegation - Swedish Independence and Democracy MEP Nils Lundgren - reported what he and fellow MEPs had seen.
They visited a motorway project that was long way behind schedule because the contractor is demanding more money for the rising cost of building materials. A poorly drafted contract has made a legal resolution of the dispute unlikely.
Also visited by the cross-party group of Members was a fish processing plant and ice-cream factory where it was unclear who owned the company. Mr Lundgren said that “personally I do not think we should pay the money in the way we do now - putting in capital in a private company to raise employment in a certain area.”
He went on to express his concern about the state of Bulgaria's Court system. “Their judicial system is very weak. They have to reform it and high-ranking people must be put on trial. They must start acting the way we want them to act” he said.
Improvements expected, but need verification
Gerardo Galeote for the regional development delegation said that the misuse of funds should not be generalised to the whole of the country: “The EC took immediate action having found problems with one specific tender - an agency which did not act correctly” she said.
The Spanish centre-right MEP considers that the government and most important opposition parties are absolutely committed in the fight against corruption. “We expect the report by the Commission this autumn to verify the improvements made in this country” she said.
How can funds be defrosted?
According to the Commission; “as soon as Bulgaria has taken the necessary corrective measures to improve financial management and tighten control systems, the Commission is prepared to reverse its decision”. So far this has not happened.
Both delegations of MEP will issue a report on their visits for scrutiny by the rest of their respective committees. In the meantime, Bulgaria's 7.5 million people will not see the investment their country so desperately needs.
Šaltinis:
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