Bulgaria among Top 10 in EU by Transparency in Public Procurement - Minister

Bulgaria is among the top 10 in the EU by transparency in public procurement and among the top 5 by electronization of the process, according to Economy Minister Bozhidar Lukarski.
In a Saturday interview for Bulgaria On Air, Lukarski announced that a team of the Economy Ministry under the authority of Deputy Prime Minister Tomislav Donchev was working on a new Public Procurement Act.
Bulgaria's Economy Minister, as cited by investor.bg, assured that the new Public Procurement Act could be in place in the first half of the year.
Citing statistics of the Sofia-based office of the European Commission, Lukarski noted that Bulgaria was among the top 10 in the EU by transparency in public procurement and among the top 5 by electronization of the process.
Lukarski vowed that e-public procurement would be universally available in the EU by 2020.
He expressed satisfaction that the European Commission had backed the attempts of Bulgaria to boost the development of the country's northwestern region, the poorest region in the EU.
Lukarski reminded that the EC had approved the application guidelines envisaging funding of up to 60% for medium-sized enterprises and up to 70% for small enterprises based in Bulgaria's northwestern region, as well as the awarding of 5 extra points to projects from the area seeking EU funding.
He reminded that EC data indicated that Bulgaria's northwestern region was the least developed in the EU because it lacked a strong regional center, which was why it was being given preferential treatment.
Lukarski said that Bulgaria's southwestern region, which included Bulgaria's capital, had been granted the smallest number of preferences.
He pointed out that the funding awarded to Sofia was included in the sum allocated...