On October 13, the Committee on European Affairs and Oversight of the European Funds at the National Assembly of the Republic of Bulgaria held a hearing on the progress in the absorption of the EU funds under the:

• „Human Resources Development” Operational Programme 2007 – 2013;
• „Environment” Operational Programme 2007 – 2013;
• ISPA/Cohesion Fund (Regulation 1164/94) projects in the „Environment” sector, managed by the Ministry of Environment and Water.

The meeting of the Committee on European Affairs and Oversight of the European Funds has been chaired by Ms. Monika Panayotova and the information on the abovementioned topics has been presented respectively by Mr. Krasimir Popov – Deputy Minister of Labour and Social Policy and Ms. Ivelina Vasileva – Deputy Minister of Environment and Water.

The presentation and discussion of the information on the progress of the Programs is a part of the series of hearings before the Committee on European Affairs and Oversight of the European Funds aimed at exerting political control over the activity of the state administration structures engaged in the management of the European funds in the country. The materials and the debates of the meetings will be used in the elaboration of the Interim and Annual Reports of the Committee on the absorption of the EU funds in the Republic of Bulgaria.

The Report from the hearing can be found at (available only in Bulgarian):
http://www.parliament.bg/?page=ns&lng=bg&nsid=5&action=show&Type=cmStan&SType=show&gid=240&id=2242