MRDPW responded to Terziev: Corrections in the projects, not political games, are delaying payments to Sofia Municipality

In connection with the statement of the Mayor of Sofia Vasil Terziev that “MRDPW has been delaying payments to Sofia from the municipal financing program for months“ and the suggestions made about “political games“, we clarify that each municipality is obliged to provide a certain set of documents in order for MRDPW to pay the requested amounts. These are not new requirements, but ones that have accompanied the program since its inception. This is stated in a statement by the Regional Ministry sent to the media. Sofia Municipality has made several corrections to its projects, which require their reflection in the documentation. This further delays the overall process. Specifically for Opalchenska Street, the implementation of the project is subject to inspection for irregularities by various institutions, which obliges the MRDPW not to make a transfer in favor of the Sofia Municipality.
However, Mayor Terziev misses the situation with the renovation program, which is also managed by the MRDPW. The facts are as follows: in 2023, the MRDPW transferred 16,105,000 leva in advance to start the renovation of 23 residential blocks. The deadline for selecting a contractor expired in 2024 and, at the request of the Sofia Municipality, was extended with an annex until 01.06.2025. To date, no contractors have yet been selected for 6 blocks, and for 4 blocks the contractor was selected outside the specified deadline. All this puts at risk the implementation of the renovation of apartment blocks in Sofia, the financing of which amounts to nearly 54 million leva.