STRUCTURAL FUNDS AND COHESION FUND – PROGRAMMING, UTILIZATION, PROGNOSES – ONE YEAR AFTER BULGARIA’S ACCESSION TO THE EU

"Pre-accession Instruments

PHARE Programme

With the accession to the EU on January 1, 2007 Bulgaria became a full member of the European Union and the financial aid which the country is entitled to receive is due from the Structural Funds and the Cohesion Fund. In other words, the pre-accession financial instrument PHARE has been ceased since 2007 but the implementation and management of the ongoing projects for 2005 and 2006 would continue until they are finalized.

Since 2007 the new Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA) has replaced the financial instrument PHARE, now that Bulgaria is already an EU Member State, and would grant financial aid for building up and enhancing the administrative and judicial sectors in areas where activities are not entitled to financing by the Structural and the Agricultural Funds.

There is a general tendency of the pre-accession instruments towards a delay in agreement and programme implementation, as well as in the respective allocation of funds..............."