With approaching election government officials begin showing great activity on projects funded with money from Brussels.
First at the beginning of the week reported Transport Minister Daniel Papazov after he gave the official start of construction of the railway section Stambolijski – Plovdiv. „Within a few weeks we started the modernization of the entire rail line from Septemvri to Plovdiv,“ Minister Papazov boasted. The rehabilitation of the stretch is implemented under the Operational Programme Transport 2007-2013, and the value of the contract exceeds 67 million levs with VAT. The stretch is 53 kilometers long and the trains will be able to run at speed of 160 km per hour. Words were good to hear, but at the official ceremony no one mentioned that the whole project is still one with a very high risk and there would be little surprise if the country loses the EU money on it. The main reason is the delayed start of the construction that was protracted several due to instances of appeal procedure for the selection of consultant for assessment and construction supervision. So now the country is pressed by tight deadlines as the National Railway Infrastructure Company (NRIC) need to finish the entire modernization by mid-2015.
Before an election, however, the most important thing is to promise. The more, the better. So did Papazov, too, promising a new underpass in Plovdiv.
In order not to be outdone by his colleague in the race, the promise rant was joined by Environment Minister Iskra Mihaylova. Together with her deputy Din Onbashi she participated in the ceremony of putting ten new subway trams into operation in Sofia. They were bought through the 80-million-lev grant provided by the Operational Programme Environment. Well, Mihaylova was forced to share the laurels with Mayor Yordanka Fandakova, but the important thing is that she shone in the spotlight, too.
„Once again the team of Sofia Municipality has shown that it is our efficient partner, who implements projects that benefit the Bulgarian citizens – she said. – This is strong evidence that joint, good and continuous efforts are paying off. It is also an indication that European policy for environmental protection has very specific dimensions that can be seen in the quality of life of every citizen of the city.“
Sofia mayor answered back: „Let’s congratulate Sofia for the happy new acquisition. The beast is that lately every week we have been seeing Ms. Mihailova on nice occasions. This is because in 2013 we were able to take advantage of the remaining funds in the grant schemes of the European funding in order to improve public transport in Sofia.“
The BANKER
