SOFIA (Bulgaria), February 13 (SeeNews) – Bulgaria’s education ministry said on Monday it has been notified by the European Commission of a pending fine over irregularities in the implementation and management of the country's Operational Programme Science and Education for Smart Growth.
The exact amount of the 'financial correction' is to be set after negotiations with the European Commission, the education ministry said in a press release. The fine will be paid for from the ministry's budget, it added.
Under the EU law, the Commission can impose a financial correction by cancelling all or part of the bloc's contribution to a programme, regarding the principle of proportionality by taking account of the nature and gravity of the breach of applicable law.
In addition, the European Commission will freeze interim payments under the programme. Under the EU regulation, laying down common provisions for the EU structural funds, interim payments can be suspended over a maximum period of six months.
A number of problems with the programme, including lack of clearly defined organizational and supervisory functions between the different units responsible for the programme’s implementation and supervision, as well as weaknesses in terms of assessing the projects and their follow-up supervision, have been discovered by the Commission during an audit held in October 2016.
The education ministry said it has already drafted four options for resolving the problems which will be presented to the European Commission.
The financial correction does not concern projects that have already been launched, the ministry noted.