Bulgaria and four other countries are included in a pilot project of the European Commission to increase the capacity of fund management in the new programming period

Bulgaria, Spain, Poland, Greece and Croatia are included in a pilot project of the European Commission to strengthen and increase the administrative and strategic capacity of organisations in connection with the effective structuring and management of the European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF) for the post-2020 programming period. It is being implemented in cooperation with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Today a working meeting was held in Brussels at the level of representatives of managing authorities of operational programmes from the countries. It was attended by Deputy Minister Denitsa Nikolova, as head of the Managing Authority of the Operational Programme “Regions in Growth”. The aim of the pilot project is for the OECD to develop a roadmap by the end of 2019, which will include recommendations for taking specific actions to improve the administrative and strategic capacity of the MA and the structures involved for better governance of the ESIF. The roadmap for each country will be based on the specific national socio-economic context.   

During the meeting, Deputy Minister Nikolova presented to the participants the current structure of the MA of OPRG 2014 - 2020, as well as the main points in structuring the process of managing the regional development programme in the next programming period after 2020. Deputy Minister Nikolova pointed out that the states should focus their efforts on building an appropriate organisational structure and developing the necessary skills of the experts in order to meet the challenges and ensure effective management of the programmes.

Issues related to identified difficulties and challenges in the implementation and enforcement of current operational programmes, the dialogue and interaction in the process between stakeholders, exchange of experience, good practices and positive results in the implementation of projects by beneficiaries were also discussed.

The pilot project should identify the main challenges facing the MA in the management of ESIF funds. The ways in which the administrative staff of the structure is organised, functions and develops are identified and discussed, in order to build a strong and effective guide for the implementation and management of the financial resources. The planning and programming process is analysed in order to improve the coordination between the different sectors and to strengthen the partnership with all stakeholders that are important participants in making strategic decisions in the field of regional development.

During her visit to Brussels, Deputy Minister Nikolova also held working meetings with representatives of DG Regional and Urban Policy and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development.