29/07/2010
Until the end of the year we can negotiate 50% of the resources and payments can reach 11%
- Miss Panayotova, you are in charge of the commission regarding European questions from a couple of weeks, what have you managed to achieve in this time?
- Yes the time limit has been short, but we succeeded to have three extra sessions jointly with other commissions. We had to approve several important ratifications, so they can be viewed before the vacation. We wanted in Wednesday (author’s note – yesterday) to present the half way report of the commission for the assimilation of the European resources in Bulgaria for the first six months, but due to the different dynamic of the parliamentary sessions we decided to postpone it for the beginning of September.
- What are the main conclusions from the report, which is due to be presented?
- It is still being prepared, but the highlights are, that we really should be proud as a country for that, that we managed to increase the tempo of assimilation of European funds during the last 12 months – for this period we account a serious increase, as well as on the part of negotiation, as well as on payment. If we compare with last year during this time the payments were just around 1%, while now they are 4.6%, and the resources on the JEREMIE initiative have increased up to 7%. So we have 7 times better assimilation of resources. During negotiations, if last year during this time we had 10%, now we have 34%. According to the LOTHAR system which is used for making financial predictions, connected with the tempo of assimilation of European funds until the end of 2010 it is possible to reach levels between 48 and 50% of the negotiated resources and around 11% of payments.
- Which of the programs can receive an “excellent” and which have unsatisfactory results?
- Forming an “excellent” mark for payments are Operative program “Competitiveness” for those 200 million euro, predicted by the JEREMIE initiative. This leads to an increase of payments of 317 times. The money have not, reached the final receivers, but it is a question of time, the important thing is that the government managed to undertake the necessary measures not to lose them. This is our proposal in the report – to speed up the processes, so that the money can reach the business. The second place is for the OP “Regional Development” with an increase of 6.58 times and third OP “Transport” with 46.6 times faster payment.
The last place is for OP “Technical Support”. We have a proposal for OP “Administrative Capacity” – to speed up the work on it, because there has been marked delay, because of the reorganization of the structure of its management. Another of our proposals is in the fulfillment of the separate programs to search for the highest degree of supplementation and generation of synergy effects.
- The program for the development of the agriculture regions is outside the seven operative programs, for which you gave a mark. What are your suggestions regarding this programme?
- As a whole it is moving with a good tempo, so regarding it we don’t have specific proposals.
- What is the mark as a whole that you would put on the process connected with the assimilation of resources from the European Union for the first half of the year?
- When we are comparing the tempo with previous years, I think, that the Bulgarian government is moving towards a six regarding the will, the clear vision, the urge for the creation of clear rules and speeding up the payments and the final results. There is still what to expect in regards of the resources reaching the final receivers, but only a year has passed. Seven times more payments is clearly a good start.
- What is not enough for the full six? What are your main suggestions for improving the work on the programs?
- To speed up the payments and to improve project preparation, despite that the second depends on the receivers, especially the municipalities. This, which I said – to strive for the effect of synergy between the separate programs, is good to be used especially during the time of crisis. The procedures must additionally be made easier. Ambitious task, but I believe achievable, the idea to create a law for the European resources. With it the control on the assimilation of resources, will be even bigger, and from another side the 20 normative acts, which we have in this sphere at the moment, can be united in it.
- Is work being done at the moment for a project for such a law?
- Not yet, but there is thought in that direction.
- During the fall there is a report of the European Commission due regarding the assimilation of European subsidies. Do you expect a six from it?
- I hope that there will be a six there or at least a regard to the political will and the progress in the tempo of the work of the separate programs. Not before long there was a report based on data by OLAF, according to which we receive excellent marks regarding misuse of European funds, but it is very important to have in mind, that he is based on data from 2009, in other words it states what has been done by the past government. The opposition misused the data from this report. It is on the base of what has been done before. On the base what has been now I hope, that there really will be a fair report, which should have a critic tone for that which we can still improve, but stating the improvement, which is visible even by the numbers for the increase of negotiations and payments.
- In the report there will be included a mark for the pre-accession programs. What are the findings there?
- A big part of the resources from the pre-accession programs were stopped. This, which we mark as positive is that there has been an improvement in the communications with Brussels. A priority regarding ISPA is the “Lulin” highway. During the actualization of the budget we voted an additional 62.6 million levs for 2010, because a priority is the building of the highways. The European Commission has expressed will for giving a postponement for the key projects on ISPA and in the sectors “Environment” and “Transport”.
- It is expected that during March 2011 Bulgaria will become part of Schengen space. Are we going to be able to keep the deadline and assimilate the resources, which we will receive for this target?
- Up to this moment there have been 148.6 million euro and 68.6 million euro paid. I expect that during the fall there will be the most realized agreements in this direction. It is very important that the government didn’t let to lose resources. We have really determined March as a deadline, but let’s not go for a determined month, let’s say that a priority is 2011, for the signing of the agreement, so that in 2012 it can take effect. Regarding Schengen the visit of Angela Merkel is very important and the message that she will give.
- What are your targets and priorities until the end of this calendar year?
- On first place – the presentation of the report in September. After that we need to begin preparing the year report, which needs to be presented during January – February 2011. Work needs to be started in the direction of applying the principle of subsidy, because after the Lisbon Treaty the role of the national parliaments is becoming especially responsible. Before the acts are really discussed in the European Parliament, they will pass the national parliaments and if we have remarks on a normative act, it needs to be made in the frame of eight weeks. The idea of subsidy is to make the politic of the European Union (EU) more accessible to the citizens, because it is supposed, that we as national parliaments are in much more direct contact with our citizens.
Another good topic, which we need to develop, is the so called civil initiative. So if 1 million citizens from the EU decide, now they can initiate an act. Now it is a question of discussion from how many countries to the citizens need to be.
I want there to be more talk about European questions. The focus so far is on the European funds and this is normal, but parallel we need to work in the direction of European questions.
Interview of Darina Cherkezova for “Pari” Newspaper
Who is Monika Panayotova:
► Monika Panayotova has a BA in International Relations and a MA in International Economic Relations with a specialization in “International Project Management” from the University of National and World Economy
►After her graduation to 2008, she was first a researcher and then director “Projects connected with Society” in the Economic Policy Institute.
Panayotova has experience in the preparation and realisation of international projects and reports on European questions, as well as a specialization in the sector of international relations.
At the moment she is Chairwoman of MGERB, Member of the Foreign Policy and Defense Committee and from two weeks Chairperson of the Committee on European Affairs and Oversight of the European Funds
► She speaks French and English
Until the end of the year we can negotiate 50% of the resources and payments can reach 11%
- Miss Panayotova, you are in charge of the commission regarding European questions from a couple of weeks, what have you managed to achieve in this time?
- Yes the time limit has been short, but we succeeded to have three extra sessions jointly with other commissions. We had to approve several important ratifications, so they can be viewed before the vacation. We wanted in Wednesday (author’s note – yesterday) to present the half way report of the commission for the assimilation of the European resources in Bulgaria for the first six months, but due to the different dynamic of the parliamentary sessions we decided to postpone it for the beginning of September.
- What are the main conclusions from the report, which is due to be presented?
- It is still being prepared, but the highlights are, that we really should be proud as a country for that, that we managed to increase the tempo of assimilation of European funds during the last 12 months – for this period we account a serious increase, as well as on the part of negotiation, as well as on payment. If we compare with last year during this time the payments were just around 1%, while now they are 4.6%, and the resources on the JEREMIE initiative have increased up to 7%. So we have 7 times better assimilation of resources. During negotiations, if last year during this time we had 10%, now we have 34%. According to the LOTHAR system which is used for making financial predictions, connected with the tempo of assimilation of European funds until the end of 2010 it is possible to reach levels between 48 and 50% of the negotiated resources and around 11% of payments.
- Which of the programs can receive an “excellent” and which have unsatisfactory results?
- Forming an “excellent” mark for payments are Operative program “Competitiveness” for those 200 million euro, predicted by the JEREMIE initiative. This leads to an increase of payments of 317 times. The money have not, reached the final receivers, but it is a question of time, the important thing is that the government managed to undertake the necessary measures not to lose them. This is our proposal in the report – to speed up the processes, so that the money can reach the business. The second place is for the OP “Regional Development” with an increase of 6.58 times and third OP “Transport” with 46.6 times faster payment.
The last place is for OP “Technical Support”. We have a proposal for OP “Administrative Capacity” – to speed up the work on it, because there has been marked delay, because of the reorganization of the structure of its management. Another of our proposals is in the fulfillment of the separate programs to search for the highest degree of supplementation and generation of synergy effects.
- The program for the development of the agriculture regions is outside the seven operative programs, for which you gave a mark. What are your suggestions regarding this programme?
- As a whole it is moving with a good tempo, so regarding it we don’t have specific proposals.
- What is the mark as a whole that you would put on the process connected with the assimilation of resources from the European Union for the first half of the year?
- When we are comparing the tempo with previous years, I think, that the Bulgarian government is moving towards a six regarding the will, the clear vision, the urge for the creation of clear rules and speeding up the payments and the final results. There is still what to expect in regards of the resources reaching the final receivers, but only a year has passed. Seven times more payments is clearly a good start.
- What is not enough for the full six? What are your main suggestions for improving the work on the programs?
- To speed up the payments and to improve project preparation, despite that the second depends on the receivers, especially the municipalities. This, which I said – to strive for the effect of synergy between the separate programs, is good to be used especially during the time of crisis. The procedures must additionally be made easier. Ambitious task, but I believe achievable, the idea to create a law for the European resources. With it the control on the assimilation of resources, will be even bigger, and from another side the 20 normative acts, which we have in this sphere at the moment, can be united in it.
- Is work being done at the moment for a project for such a law?
- Not yet, but there is thought in that direction.
- During the fall there is a report of the European Commission due regarding the assimilation of European subsidies. Do you expect a six from it?
- I hope that there will be a six there or at least a regard to the political will and the progress in the tempo of the work of the separate programs. Not before long there was a report based on data by OLAF, according to which we receive excellent marks regarding misuse of European funds, but it is very important to have in mind, that he is based on data from 2009, in other words it states what has been done by the past government. The opposition misused the data from this report. It is on the base of what has been done before. On the base what has been now I hope, that there really will be a fair report, which should have a critic tone for that which we can still improve, but stating the improvement, which is visible even by the numbers for the increase of negotiations and payments.
- In the report there will be included a mark for the pre-accession programs. What are the findings there?
- A big part of the resources from the pre-accession programs were stopped. This, which we mark as positive is that there has been an improvement in the communications with Brussels. A priority regarding ISPA is the “Lulin” highway. During the actualization of the budget we voted an additional 62.6 million levs for 2010, because a priority is the building of the highways. The European Commission has expressed will for giving a postponement for the key projects on ISPA and in the sectors “Environment” and “Transport”.
- It is expected that during March 2011 Bulgaria will become part of Schengen space. Are we going to be able to keep the deadline and assimilate the resources, which we will receive for this target?
- Up to this moment there have been 148.6 million euro and 68.6 million euro paid. I expect that during the fall there will be the most realized agreements in this direction. It is very important that the government didn’t let to lose resources. We have really determined March as a deadline, but let’s not go for a determined month, let’s say that a priority is 2011, for the signing of the agreement, so that in 2012 it can take effect. Regarding Schengen the visit of Angela Merkel is very important and the message that she will give.
- What are your targets and priorities until the end of this calendar year?
- On first place – the presentation of the report in September. After that we need to begin preparing the year report, which needs to be presented during January – February 2011. Work needs to be started in the direction of applying the principle of subsidy, because after the Lisbon Treaty the role of the national parliaments is becoming especially responsible. Before the acts are really discussed in the European Parliament, they will pass the national parliaments and if we have remarks on a normative act, it needs to be made in the frame of eight weeks. The idea of subsidy is to make the politic of the European Union (EU) more accessible to the citizens, because it is supposed, that we as national parliaments are in much more direct contact with our citizens.
Another good topic, which we need to develop, is the so called civil initiative. So if 1 million citizens from the EU decide, now they can initiate an act. Now it is a question of discussion from how many countries to the citizens need to be.
I want there to be more talk about European questions. The focus so far is on the European funds and this is normal, but parallel we need to work in the direction of European questions.
Interview of Darina Cherkezova for “Pari” Newspaper
Who is Monika Panayotova:
► Monika Panayotova has a BA in International Relations and a MA in International Economic Relations with a specialization in “International Project Management” from the University of National and World Economy
►After her graduation to 2008, she was first a researcher and then director “Projects connected with Society” in the Economic Policy Institute.
Panayotova has experience in the preparation and realisation of international projects and reports on European questions, as well as a specialization in the sector of international relations.
At the moment she is Chairwoman of MGERB, Member of the Foreign Policy and Defense Committee and from two weeks Chairperson of the Committee on European Affairs and Oversight of the European Funds
► She speaks French and English
No comments:
Post a Comment