Regional development minister Ivan Shishkov said municipalities have already received €94m for their projects. He was speaking to parliament's regional development committee in a question session. The money is paid out every day, no matter how big the municipality is.
Payments go out as fast as the paperwork is processed. Shishkov said there is only one condition: correct documents, completed procedures and respect for the law. He said small, medium and large municipalities are treated alike and none is favoured.
The state will draw up designs to replace the large main water pipelines and will look for funding for the work. Shishkov said it is better for the state to pay for them directly. When the water utility pays itself, the cost goes into the price of water and consumers pay it.
Small municipalities will get state money to replace their local water networks. The minister said that, unlike large urban areas, they cannot get EU money. He called on them to be active in the investment programme.
To end water rationing in Pleven and Lovech, work is being prepared on the pipeline to the two cities. Pumping stations and reservoirs will get solar panels on their own land, including batteries to store power. The aim is to cut the cost of electricity for pumping water.
Officials are discussing spreading payments to the construction industry over 5 years. Under the plan, firms would build the sections in about 2.5 to 3 years, and the state would pay them in full over 5 years. Shishkov called this approach an "exceptional victory".
The minister said that if building stopped, projects would stay unfinished for 3 to 4 years, and contracts announced after that would cost many times more. He said paying in instalments will ease the pressure on the budget. He wants a fair price that suits both the contracting authority and the builders, and does not put an unbearable load on public finances.
Shishkov said there will be indexation and financial corrections only where there is a clear legal basis and where the terms protect the state's interest. Calculations and talks on indexation are not finished.
The minister named the Hemus motorway and the Vidin–Montana road as the main national goals. He said that without them northern Bulgaria cannot escape economic decline.
The tender for guardrails has been cancelled, and the work goes to the state company Avtomagistrali EAD. Shishkov said regular replacement and installation cost 17% less than under the cancelled tender, and emergency replacement costs 7% less. The company has bought its own machines, has staff for the job and will keep buying guardrails through its own procedures.
The minister said the cancellation hurt the business interests of the firms that traditionally did this work. Until then, the whole service went to outside firms at prices he called inflated.
Shishkov said the guardrails for the Hemus bridge were made in Turkey and have a certificate that will be published.