Eight more Phare projects have been thwarted
Eight additional 2006 Phare projects have been halted indefinitely, all of them under the management of the Ministry of Regional Development. (Phare is an aid instrument, financed by the European Union, designed to help countries in Central and Eastern Europe re-structure their economies before they accede to the EU)
According to the European Commission, new public tenders have to be set up for each and every one of these projects if they are to proceed. All eight programmes in question were part of trans-border programmes with Turkey, Romania, Greece, Macedonia, Serbia and Montenegro. All the programmes pertain to human resources and development, entitled "People for People".
In parallel with projects being stopped by the EC, the Government is releasing funding for the execution of projects that were thwarted last year, worth a total of 207 million leva. Those are Phare 2005 programmes under the management of the regional and financial ministry.
The required funds have been supplied by a National Fund attached to the ministry of finance but ostensibly from the national budget.
On March 31, the government allocated 100 million leva for Phare 2006 programmes, so the total sum has exceeded 300 million leva. This was made possible under article 180 passed by the Cabinet in October 2008, which guarantees the normal continuation of investment programmes related to the 10 road projects whose financing under Phare was stopped by the EC earlier. Altogether, the stalled projects amount to 323 million euro.
According to the European Commission, new public tenders have to be set up for each and every one of these projects if they are to proceed. All eight programmes in question were part of trans-border programmes with Turkey, Romania, Greece, Macedonia, Serbia and Montenegro. All the programmes pertain to human resources and development, entitled "People for People".
In parallel with projects being stopped by the EC, the Government is releasing funding for the execution of projects that were thwarted last year, worth a total of 207 million leva. Those are Phare 2005 programmes under the management of the regional and financial ministry.
The required funds have been supplied by a National Fund attached to the ministry of finance but ostensibly from the national budget.
On March 31, the government allocated 100 million leva for Phare 2006 programmes, so the total sum has exceeded 300 million leva. This was made possible under article 180 passed by the Cabinet in October 2008, which guarantees the normal continuation of investment programmes related to the 10 road projects whose financing under Phare was stopped by the EC earlier. Altogether, the stalled projects amount to 323 million euro.