Bulgaria has decided to transfer EUR 250 million of the funds provided under the EU operational programme "Transport" to the construction of the subway in Sofia, the country's Minister in charge of EU funds absorption, Tomislav Donchev, said. The funds were originally intended to finance local railways and highways development, he added.

"The subway is the most vital and advancing project together with the Trakia highway and has a high level of technical completion", according to Donchev. Some EUR 100 million of the total will go for purchasing rolling stock, while the remainder will be channelled into the construction of the sections Obelya - Nadezhda and Mladost - Tsarigradsko Shose, head of the Metropolitan underground railway operator, Stoyan Bratoev, said.

In particular, the country will redirect EUR 190 million of the funds for railroad infrastructure due to the lack of projects in the segment. However, none of the railway projects will be excluded from the programme and the funds will be drawn on account of the envisaged volume of works, he noted. The remaining EUR 60 million will be from the sum allocated for local highways, which have been saved from tenders for the construction of Trakia highway, deputy Transport Minister Ivailo Moskovski said.

Meanwhile, there will be no funds redirection under the other operational programmes, including Environment, Regional Development, Human Resources, Competitiveness, Administrative Capacity and Technical Assistance, Donchev noted. In 2011, Bulgaria will call tenders for the distribution of BGN 5.5 billion EU funds, 35% of which to be provided as part of the operational programmes, he added.