11.09.2013

Absorption of the funds under Operational Programme Administrative Capacity (OPAC) is very important for the development of the Bulgarian administration. When OPAC transfers into Operational Programme Good Governance, this will have a considerable impact on the administration and it will improve even further. This is what Minister of Finance Petar Chobanov said at a technical meeting with representatives of the European Commission to review the progress made under OPAC. Minister Chobanov assured Mr. Phillipe Hatt, Head of Unit \"Romania, Bulgaria, Malta\", DG \"Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion\" of the European Commission, that there would be continuity between both programmes and that the priorities to be financed during the next programming period would be clearly defined. The Minister of Finance also added that the meeting was held at a favourable time of preparation of the next programming period and closure of the current one, and it was important to optimise the absorption of EU funds.

Mr. Hatt said that the European Commission was reviewing the second version of the Partnership Agreement drafted by Bulgaria. He added that the support to the administration and the judiciary would continue to be among the key priorities. Mrs. Monica Dimitrova-Beecher, Head of the OPAC Managing Authority, reminded that new OPAC procedures would be announced in the following weeks, as well as that in view of better fund absorption, information materials had been prepared to support beneficiaries. Since the launch of OPAC, the contracted funds have amounted to BGN 291.5 million, or 82.5% of the Programme budget, the disbursed funds have amounted to BGN 174.9 million (49.5%), and the certified funds have amounted to BGN 134.9 million (38.2%). Since the start of this year the contracted funds have amounted to BGN 44.5 million, the disbursed funds are BGN 41.1 million, and the certified funds have amounted to BGN 33.9 million.