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Parliamentary question - E-004017/2015Parliamentary question
E-004017/2015

Projects for the integration of Roma, financed from the EU cohesion funds

Question for written answer E-004017-15
to the Commission
Rule 130
Angel Dzhambazki (ECR)

In the 2007-2013 financial period, Bulgaria received EUR 6.9 billion and in the 2014-2020 period it will receive EUR 7.2 billion. Part of the money is from the cohesion funds and is assisting investment projects in many different sectors which affect the Roma population, for example through financial support for developing residential accommodation and school infrastructure.

Unfortunately, despite the huge sums of money being made available to improve the situation of the Roma, in Bulgaria these people still live in wretched conditions. For this reason, people are starting to doubt whether the projects in question are effective and are really improving the Roma’s situation, and to think that projects for the Roma community are purely and simply schemes for tapping into the cohesion funds.

A number of questions are therefore pertinent.

1. Does the Commission keep a list of projects in this field, and precisely how much money from the cohesion funds has been committed to, and spent on, projects to improve the situation of the Roma?

2. Who monitors the projects financed by the cohesion funds and how is the monitoring carried out? Are the projects subject to auditing at the outset, mid-term and on completion?

3. Does the Commission plan to publish a report on these projects and their outcome in terms of hard data and statistics?