Deputy Minister Denitsa Nikolova: 65% of the Resource of Operational Programme “Regions in Growth” 2014-2020 Was Agreed, over 1,5 Billion BGN Are Already in the Municipalities and Road Infrastructure Agency

The investment process in 2018 and alleviation of measures and regimes were discussed by the Deputy Minister and experts of the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works with the local authorities in Albena.

As of today’s date 65% of the resource of Operational Programme “Regions in Growth” 2014-2020 were agreed and over 1,5 billion BGN are already in the municipalities for implementation of various projects. This was announced by the Deputy Minister of Regional Development and Manager of the Managing Authority of Operational Programme Regional Development Denitsa Nikolova during a forum on the subject-matter “Territory Planning and Residential Policy”, which is conducted within the framework of the 12^th Annual Meeting of the Local Authorities in Albena. Arch. Ivan Nestorov – Manager of the National Construction Supervision Directorate, Arch. Lydia Stankova – Director of Directorate “Territory Planning and Administrative Territorial Structure” in the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works, Eng. Mihail Kirov – Executive Director of the Geodesy, Cartography and Cadastre Agency, Mayors of Municipalities and representatives of the local power took part in the discussion as well.

Deputy Minister Nikolova reported as very good the implementation of the investment programmes of the municipalities, where 99 contracts for over 1 billion BGN are being executed. It is expected that by the end of the year the contracts will also be concluded for 47 project proposals under the measure for social infrastructure for deinstitutionalization and care for children. The financing of projects under another four measures under the Programme will start up at the beginning of next year. It is expected that the saved resource from the projects of 28 small municipalities under the measure for energy efficiency of multi-family and public buildings at the value of 34 million BGN will be distributed. 163,5 million BGN will be accessible also under the measure for modernization of regional health infrastructure. The social services for old people at the value of 41,4 million BGN will start up as well. Nearly 100 million BGN will be accessible for financing projects for development of tourism and the cultural-historical heritage from the month of January.

Deputy Minister Nikolova paid attention that year 2018 will be exceptionally significant and critical for the implementation of the Operational Programme, as an interim evaluation and an analysis of the indicators from its implementation are expected. The evaluation for the implementation of the Operational Programme Regional Development will be related to the adaptation of procedures, discussions about changes in the Programme and rе-direction of funds under the measures. It is a significant condition that at least 85 % of each indicator should be executed, as a completed project or a set of projects in realization, which should cover 85 % of the value of the indicator, Denitsa Nikolova said and called the municipalities and the remaining beneficiaries to be more active in the implementation of the projects. The remaining resource under the programmes for territorial and cross-border cooperation will also be distributed next year, she indicated and reminded that our country participates in 12 programmes with a total budget of 1 billion Euro, and as of this time over 50 % of it were input into projects.

Deputy Minister Nikolova noted down that the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works acts in the spirit of cooperation with the National Association of the Municipalities in the Republic of Bulgaria for the solution of problems of the local power, implementation of various projects and attainment of the common objectives for modernization of the infrastructure and improvement of the life of the people. “The Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works does its best for the improvement of the quality of life in the towns. We seek possibilities for development also of the small populated areas, to reduce the disproportions and the non-balanced development. This will be our priority at the Presidency of the Council of the EU as well”, she pointed out.

A lot has been achieved in a number of sectors from the beginning of the work of the Government, the Deputy Minister noted down. With regard to the road infrastructure she indicated as an example the start-up of key projects as the widening of the roads Burgas – Sunny Beach and Plovdiv – Asenovgrad. Hundreds of kilometers of national roads of the first and third class are being rehabilitated under Operational Programme “Regions in Growth” 2014-2020. There is also a number of projects for development of Northern Bulgaria and the main focus there is the construction of Hemus Motorway, which will solve a part of the economic problems of the entire northern part of the country. The completion of Struma Motorway will also result in the improvement of the welfare of the people and growth of the economy”, she stated.

Nikolova added that the work under all the Programmes which the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works implements with European funds was accelerated, inclusive of also with regard to the policies in the water supply and sewerage branch and the reform, which is completed by the establishment of the associations, but the investment process is to start up. “With the resource we have, we will cover the first and most serious needs our country has at the moment”, she emphasized.

Now Europe is faced by challenges, which will exert impact also over the resources the countries will have after 2020, Denitsa Nikolova pointed out. “We should think from now on about measures, about subject-matters, by which to continue the implementation of the cohesion policy after 2020, seek the best parameters to satisfy our needs, the regional policy and the planning”, she also underlined before the representatives of the local authorities.

All the buildings with concluded contracts and provided financing by the Bulgarian Development Bank under the National Energy Efficiency Programme of the multi-family residential buildings will be completed next year, Deputy Minister Nikolova also said. All the new applications which were filed up to this time but are with refusal for financing, will be a target of a debate in the National Assembly for the future of the Programme, she added. According to her, an analysis will be made for the implementation of the Programme up to now, and all the control mechanisms will be reported. “We seek all the possibilities to defend the Programme as a social element and rendering assistance to people. Within the framework of Operational Programme Regional Development there is also a measure for sanitization of multi-family residential buildings, this is why the big municipalities beneficiaries and the smaller 28 ones will be able to apply for European financing next year. The state has its commitment and the Programme was the first step. It is necessary to find the mechanism for continuation of this measure now”, the Deputy Minister also stated.

With regard to the water supply and sewerage branch Denitsa Nikolova explained that a variant is thought over for the creation of a special fund which should finance projects for improvement of the water supply and the management of the waste waters in the populated areas, which are not included in consolidated water supply and sewerage associations, and the populated areas, which, although they are included in an association, do not have access to European financing because of the requirements of the Programmes.

Arch. Lydia Stankova commented before the members of the National Association of the Municipalities in the Republic of Bulgaria that the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works actively works for the reduction of the administrative burden and alleviation of the investment planning in the regions. At the moment amendments are being discussed in the Ordinance on the issuance of Construction Permits of the sites of the fourth and the fifth category, which will facilitate the municipalities. A working group was also created for amendments in the Territory Planning Act with a focus onto the completion of the alleviation regimes for the local authorities and the investors at the coordination procedures. Arch. Stankova indicated that the creation of registers for all the monuments and buildings of the cultural heritage of local and national significance will be insisted upon. So prerequisites will be created that the investment process should not be delayed by long procedures for coordination with the National Institute for Immovable Cultural Heritage.

She paid attention that the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works for the third year already provides funds for development of general urban plans of the municipalities and called the local authorities to be more active in the process at the development and acceptance of this strategic document. According to her it is expected that within the framework of one year a bigger part of the Black Sea municipalities will have urban plans.

Arch. Ivan Nestorov announced himself for a dialogue with the municipalities and strict control of the legislation. According to him there should be alleviation of the procedures under the Territory Planning Act, but with a careful precision. “We should find a manner, in which to alleviate the citizens, but the control by the state and the municipalities should continue to be exercised”, the Manager of the National Construction Supervision Directorate stated. He called for the suspension of the vicious practices for interpretation of texts from the Territory Planning Act because they result in violations and risky construction.

Eng. Mihail Kirov commented before the Mayors that the filling up the map of the restituted ownership in the cadastre registers takes a lot of the potential of the Geodesy, Cartography and the Cadastre Agency and this is the reason for the availability of delays of some of the services in some regions. At the same time the population for receipt of services is alleviated with the introduction of electronic services and the opening of distant workplaces. The Executive Director of the Agency reported that 125 contracts were concluded for 6 months for provision of data from the cadastre map in 89 populated areas.