Before his visit, Commissioner Samecki stated: “Bulgaria has every opportunity to make the best use of the €9.5 billion of EU investments available until 2013.In my view the authorities have recently taken appropriate actions to tackle problems and I congratulate them for the willingness they have demonstrated to meet challenges head-on. The selection of good projects, stable and competent management, and good control systems are crucial to ensure the maximum impact of EU assistance for the Bulgarian people."

22 October: Meeting with Prime Minister and Ministers responsible for cohesion policy

The Commissioner will hold discussions with Prime Minister Borissov and Simeon Djankov, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, as well as four other members of the government responsible for implementing the EU’s cohesion policy: Rosen Plevneliev (Regional Development and Public Works), Traicho Traikov (Economy, Energy and Tourism), Aleksandar Tsvetkov (Transport, Information Technology and Communication), and Nona Karadjova (Environment and Water).

Projects supported by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and by the Cohesion Fund in 2007-13 are progressing, with over €1billion (23% of available funding) already allocated. However, projects funded under the former Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (ISPA) are behind schedule. Only 30% of payments have been processed to date and Bulgaria risks losing a significant part of its €880 million ISPA allocation if it fails to use the funding by 31 December 2010. The Bulgarian authorities have, however, recently taken steps to improve and accelerate the use of EU funds. For instance, reforms in the country's water sector, giving municipal authorities a bigger role in planning and implementation, should help to speed up implementation of water management projects.

Visit to Sofia Metro and Lyulin Motorway

Together with Prime Minister Borissov, the Commissioner will see the latest construction works on the new section of Line 2 of the Sofia metro, connecting Nadejda road to Cherni Vrah Boulevard via the Central Station. The project has received €157 million in EU funding out of a total cost of €320 million.

Commissioner Samecki will then make a site visit to the Lyulin Motorway, scheduled for completion at the end of 2010. As part of the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T), this motorway will improve connections between Bulgaria and the rest of Europe, notably Greece (EU contribution: €111 million).

He will complete his programme in Sofia with a speech at Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski, focusing on the way in which the cohesion policy can help transform the economy and contribute to good governance in Bulgaria.

23 October – Visit to projects in North Central Region

On the second day of his visit, the Commissioner will be in Gabrovo (North Central Region). After an official welcome by city mayor Tomislav Donchev, the Commissioner will see the Ivan Gyuzelev high-school, one of 170 secondary and primary schools which have received EU assistance to upgrade their infrastructure and improve energy efficiency.

The Commissioner will also visit businesses which have received EU support and see the Etar architectural-ethnographic complex.

Note for editors

Bulgaria has been allocated €9.5 billion in EU funding for 2007 to 2013: €3.2 billion from the European Regional Development Fund, €2.3 billion from the Cohesion Fund, €1.2 billion from the European Social Fund, €2.6 billion from the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development, and €179 million for territorial co-operation.

Expected impact of EU investments: preliminary studies estimate that, by 2013, cohesion policy programmes will contribute to increasing:

GDP per inhabitant to 51% of the EU average ;

Employment rate to 64%, as compared to 56% in 2005 ;

Expenditure on research and development (R&D) from 0.4% to 1.15% of GDP.