The fact that the municipality of Sevlievo will not get money under the Rural Development Program is a heavy shock to the local business
Photo: Anton Lefterov
Not a penny will enter the municipality of Sevlievo under the Rural Development Programme, sub-measure “Implementation of operations within the framework of community-led local development strategies”. The reason is negligence and incompetence, manifested by the local administration and the vice- Mayor of the town Nevena Todorova. She is also the Chairperson of the Management of the Local Initiative Group that has prepared a strategy for which funding should have been received under the programme. This shows the check of “Pro Veritas”.
No second chance
The only reason for elimination of the Sevlievo’s project from the final ranking is “the existence of connectivity between members of the Managing Board of the initiative group”, are the motives of the Managing Authority of the Rural Development Programme.
Members of the Management of the Local Initiative Group are the municipality of Sevlievo and Natalia Koleva – Director of the “Regional landfill” in the city. And employer of Koleva is again Municipality of Sevlievo.
In the course of the procedure, the State Fund “Agriculture” requested an explanation and the Local Initiative Group denied the existence of connectivity. As an evidence of this they attached a document according to which Natalia Koleva left the Managing Board of the group on December 5 last year. However, by that date, the strategies, applying for approval, have already been ranked.
When you’re not in the backup list either
The Local Initiative Group of Sevlievo is out of the back-up list as well, which includes strategies for which there is no financial resource available but they have passed the check on administrative compliance and eligibility. By this, the small and medium-size entrepreneurs in a municipality with 34 villages, finally lose the opportunity to finance their projects and to invest in production since the second stage of the Rural Development Programme procedure is over and there will be no third stage.
Better late, most certainly never
“The applicant didn’t take any action to remove the connectivity before submitting the application form /note of editor – the deadline for this was August 30 last year/, they wrote from State Fund “Agriculture”. Thus, the possibility for the municipality with the largest number of mayoralties and neighborhoods in the District of Gabrovo, to raise money for investments in activities that would revitalize the region, is completely lost.
BGN 4 mln to the waste
Photo: Sevlievo online
The omission by the Chairperson of the Managing Board of Sevlievo’s Local Initiative Group Nevena Todorova, who is also Deputy Mayor of the municipal administration, has actually thrown the strategy to the waste, representatives of the local small business say. The document was not admitted at all for technical and financial assessment, since the mistake of Todorova has become apparent yet during the administrative compliance and eligibility check.
The fact that the municipality of Sevlievo will not receive funds under the Rural Development Programme is a serious shock for many of the Municipality citizens. The projects of agricultural producers, owners of tourist sites, mayors of villages, craftsmen, IT sector representatives, even publishers, have failed.
One “elementary mistake“
The local administration has already attempted to downplay what has happened with the comments that it is because of the “elementary mistake” that could have been corrected. The only thing that needs to become clear now is who and how will bear the blame for the failed funding.
The budget for the sub-measure 19. 2 of the Rural Development Programme is over Euro 60 million. They will be absorbed by 25 local initiative groups from other regions of the country, and the same number is of the groups on the back-up list.
