Listen to the news

We, from the coalition "Continuing the Change" Kiril Petkov and Assen Vassilev presented their political project "Continuing the Change" – Democratic Bulgaria "Democratic Bulgaria" is a centrist-right political union composed of" (PP - DB) are concerned about the two contracts signed quietly by the Road Infrastructure Agency worth 1.2 billion. BGN for the implementation of Lot 3.2 of the Struma Motorway in the section between the village of Krupnik and the town of Krupnik. Kresna.

This is written in an official position by PP - DB, which we publish without editorial intervention:

"We are seriously concerned by the fact that the Road Infrastructure Agency has finalized contracts for design and construction before the procedures for the steps recommended by the EC are completed - assessment of alternative routes outside the Kresna Gorge, analysis of the compliance of the selected option with the specific conservation objectives and providing financing of the project with funds from OP "Transport Connectivity".

In addition to the hasty actions that may lead to loss of European funding, we also find a gross violation of the publicity requirement in the Public Procurement Act:

The notices for the concluded contracts are published in the Public Procurement Register more than a month after their conclusion – on 12.05.2023.

It also becomes clear that at the end of April 2023, additional agreements were signed to both treaties, which put their entry into force under suspensive conditions for secured funding, completion of the analysis of compliance with the specific conservation objectives and completion of the procedure for amending the investment proposal under the Environmental Protection Act.

Minister Shishkov: The completion of Kresna road junction makes the construction of Struma Motorway irreversible

The above situation raises reasonable doubts about the legality of the actions of the Road Infrastructure Agency in terms of national and European legislation in the field of biodiversity conservation, public procurement and effective, efficient, economical and transparent management of public finances. We call on the Chairman of the Board of RIA to immediately provide explanations of the following issues:

1. Why have public procurement contracts been concluded on the basis of tenders submitted on the basis of an investment intention for a route not approved by the European Commission?

2. Why have the public procurements launched in 2018 not been terminated, given that the tenders were submitted in 2018 and the agreed prices probably do not correspond to today's market situation?

3. Why have the contracts in question been concluded when the analysis of the alternatives and the possibilities for construction of the two routes of Lot 3.2 outside the Kresna Gorge has not been completed? Why is the conclusion of the contracts not announced in a timely manner in accordance with the requirements of the Public Procurement Act?

5. On what legal basis are public procurement contracts amended only 20 days after their conclusion?

6. Why has the implementation of the Kresna road junction started when none of the postponement conditions for the entry into force of the contracts have been fulfilled?

7. How much money is the financing of the project secured, given that the state budget for 2023 has not yet been adopted, nor has funding under OP "Transport Connectivity" 2021 – 2027 been approved by the European Commission?

8. What is the explanation that the implementation of Lot 3.1.1 has been assigned to a consortium of companies whose managers have been charged with documentary crimes, tax fraud and money laundering worth tens of millions in connection with the construction of Hemus Motorway?

KirilPetkov and Assen Vassilev presented their political project "Continuing the Change" – Democratic Bulgaria"Democratic Bulgaria" is a centrist-right political union composed of" we believe that Struma Motorway should be built, but for more than a decade this project can not be implemented despite the provided European funding. Instead, the caretaker government and a number of regular governments before it are not working to build a highway, but to build a first-class two-way road."

Democratic Bulgaria

We continue the change

RIA

Struma Motorway