It is possible that the funds under the SAPARD pre-accession program for Bulgaria will be defreezed shortly. This became known at a meeting of Deputy Prime Minister in charge of EU funds management Meglena Plougchieva and Agriculture and Food Minister Valeri Tsvetanov with EU Agriculture and Rural Development Commissioner Mariann Fischer Boel.

They updated her on what has been done since May 14, when the latest meeting was held in the European Commission on the action plan to remove irregularities related to the release of funds for Bulgaria under the SAPARD program.

"Back then, we assumed obligations and commitments, on which we had to report. We took the opportunity that Minister Tsvetanov is today in Brussels for participation in the Council of Agriculture Ministers of the EU to present the information," Plougchieva said, approached by Bulgarian journalists.

Information was presented about the so called "linked" persons, about the ways of conducting checks, about the register of irregularities and the referral of irregularities to the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) and about other measures which have been taken.

The information was accepted positively. In order to defreeze the funds under SAPARD, now it only remains to conduct an independent audit to see how the so called reference price list works after the approved changes in the methodology.

"The forthcoming audit is the last condition which we have to fulfill in order to defreeze the funding under the SAPARD program. It is supposed to show that things are not only done, but they also work. Then the European Commission will react. This is the commitment which we still have to fulfill," Plougchieva said.

Asked whether the funds can be defreezed during the tenure of the incumbent Bulgarian government, which will end shortly, the Deputy Prime Minister answered affirmatively. "That is why we came here. We are specifying the last details. We are looking for a fast solution," said Agriculture Minister Tsvetanov.

The two met with Fischer Boel in the building of the European Commission , which is functioning normally from Monday after a fire broke out a week ago.

Source: BTA