“For us, there is no distinction between which mayor is elected by which political force. Every week, we conclude agreements under the Investment Program for Municipal Projects with representatives of local authorities from different party groups. We are working at full steam and if there is any delay in terms of projects, it is due to the large volume of documentation that we process and omissions made by the various municipal administrations“. This was stated by the Minister of Regional Development and Public Works Ivan Ivanov. Today, he signed 113 new agreements with mayors and representatives of 23 municipalities. They are worth almost 205 million leva. and are for the design and implementation of various infrastructure projects in the municipalities of Ardino, Berkovitsa, Velingrad, Varshets, Gabrovo, Gurkovo, Galabovo, Devin, Zavet, Ivanovo, Momchilgrad, Pleven, Pravets, Ruse, Sevlievo, Septemvri, Simeonovgrad, Smolyan, Sofia Municipality, Suvorovo, Suhindol, Targovishte and Yambol.
“The agreements are being signed in stages because we cannot process all the applications at the same time. We are keeping our commitment in our work on the investment program not to divide the municipalities, they are all under the same denominator. If anyone believes that there is a delay, it is for objective, not subjective reasons“, emphasized the regional minister. He informed that at the moment, applications for payments in the amount of 805 million leva have been submitted, including for delayed contracts from 2024. Payments from the MRDPW will continue until October, until the limit available in the ministry in the amount of 750 million leva is exhausted. And then, according to the Budget Law, payments will continue through the Bulgarian Development Bank, where 900 million leva have been provided, to reach 1.650 billion leva by the end of the year.
Minister Ivanov appealed to mayors to prioritize projects for the renovation of the water supply infrastructure in settlements, due to the looming drought and the shortage of drinking water in the summer months. “Currently, this is the only mechanism for overcoming the problems in the sector. We have no other financial resource available in the ministry. Therefore, municipalities in which there are settlements on a water regime can implement measures to replace water pipes, especially in Northern Bulgaria. MRDPW is checking these projects as a priority so that the problems can be resolved more quickly“, he said. He added that work is also underway on large infrastructure projects to solve water supply problems in entire districts. Pre-project studies are being conducted, and talks are underway with the Ministry of Finance to include the implementation in the 2026 budget.
The regional minister called on the mayors to work calmly on implementing the investment activities. “As long as this majority and government work, the process will be uninterrupted. We will be able to catch up on all delayed projects and payments“, said Ivanov.