Tomislav Donchev: BGN 3.3 billion have been disbursed under the European operational programmes so far
The disbursed funds under all operational programmes have reached BGN 3.3 billion. A total of BGN 12 billion have been contracted, which represents 50% of all available funds. The contracting process has accelerated by 50%, while payments have increased by 80%, said Tomislav Donchev, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Innovation and Growth, in response to a parliamentary question from the GERB/SDS parliamentary group during today’s parliamentary Q&A session regarding the implementation of operational programmes under the cohesion policy and the process of absorbing EU funding.
“In the span of 8–9 months, as a result of complex collective efforts, we can report significant acceleration in the implementation of all programmes, ” Donchev noted, adding that funds under the operational programmes account for two-thirds of the European funding for Bulgaria.
According to him, the government now has more time flexibility, as the implementation deadline for the programmes is 2030. However, he also stressed that there are annual targets that must not be missed, as failure to meet them would result in Bulgaria losing funds.
The main challenges, Donchev pointed out, remain in projects related to heavy infrastructure — in particular, water and sewage systems, roads, and railways.
The timely implementation of these programmes, he added, will depend on the presence of political consensus and stability.
