Bulgaria’s Schengen Entry ‌Delayed Due to Public Procurement Failure

Bulgaria’s entry into the Schengen area‌ may be delayed due ⁤to the⁤ failure of a public procurement process, according to Martin Dimitrov, MP of the PP-DB party, and Radan Kanev, a member of the European Parliament.

The public procurement process, ⁤worth over 40⁤ million euros, aimed​ to purchase additional equipment for customs points, including ‍scanners and X-ray systems. The majority of the⁤ funds, 32 million euros, were‍ provided by the ‍European Union.

The equipment was⁣ intended for various customs points, including Vidin, Ruse, Varna, Kyustendil, Blagoevgrad, Burgas, Varna-zapad, Ruse, Varna airport, and the ferry customs point ‍in Varna. Additionally, the equipment was ⁢meant for Sofia,⁢ Plovdiv, Haskovo, Burgas,‌ and several other points.

However, the public procurement process failed after ​an appeal to the Competition Protection Commission ⁤and the Supreme​ Administrative Court. Instead of issuing ‍a new tender, ⁣the process was⁣ moved⁤ to direct negotiation, citing national security concerns.

According ‍to Dimitrov, the European⁢ Commission required transparency⁤ in the⁢ spending of funds, which was not achieved in this case. ⁤He questioned the decision, stating that‍ it‍ was a “ridiculous goal” that could harm Bulgaria’s chances of⁢ joining the Schengen area.

Kanev added that the cancellation of the public​ procurement process and the switch to direct ⁣contracting with⁣ an unknown‍ company was causing tension in Brussels. He‍ stated that ⁤this decision ​could be used as a reason to postpone ​Bulgaria’s Schengen membership.

The Customs Agency argued that direct contracting was‌ an example of “good practice” when buying similar equipment from another⁣ member state. However, this argument was met with skepticism by Dimitrov and Kanev.

A​ delivery contract has already been⁢ completed, with a deadline of June 30 next year.