FOR THE FIRST TIME SUBSUDY FOR FUNDING OF NGO PROJECTS IS PROVIDED UNDER THE STATE BUDGET FOR YEAR 2005

For the first time, despite direct subsidies from the central budget for certain non-profit legal entities there is a subsidy reserve in the State budget for year 2005 is created for funding of projects of non-profit legal entities designated for performing activities in public benefit, registered in the Central Registry with the Ministry of Justice. The amount fixed in the budget for this aim for 2005 is 798,8 thousand levs. Under The Law on the State budget of the Republic of Bulgaria for year 2005 public benefit organizations registered in the Central Registry are eligible to apply for funding from the subsidy reserve with socially significant projects in the field of public education or physical education and social tourism, public healthcare, social sphere, protection of the environment, protection of historical or cultural heritage. The Law does not allow financing of projects which have already been funded or are planned for funding with subsidy from the State Budget or from the Municipal budgets. By government decree No 11 from January 19th, 2005 for the execution of the State Budget of the Republic of Bulgaria for year 2005, the persons applying for socially significant prior to March 15th 2005 should submit in the Ministry of Justice the projects and the following documents: 1. Certificate of actual legal status; 2. List of the members of the managing bodies; 3. Certificate of tax registration; 4. Certificate from the respective authorities for availability or lack of receivables according to art. 13, paragraph 2 from the Tax Procedure Code. 5. Declaration for observance of the rules of the Law on Measures against the Money Laundering and that no sanctions or fines under this Law have been imposed on the person, respectively on the members of its managing body: 6. Declaration for the number of the members of the body under point 1. The projects will be assessed by a 10-member committee, appointed after an order of the Prime minister, with which the rules for the proceedings of the committee are defined. The Chairman of the committee will be a Deputy Minister of Justice. The Committee will consist of representative from: the administration of the Council of ministers, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Economy, the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy, the Ministry of Healthcare, the Ministry of Education and Science, the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Youth and Sports, nominated by the heads of the respective ministries. The Committee will assess the projects, and at the evaluation of the social significance of the projects will have to take into consideration the number of the expected beneficiaries from the implementation of the project, the costs per person for the implementation of the project, the number of members of the NGO and others. By April 15th, 2005, the Committee will submit to the Prime minister minutes with a proposal for the distribution of the resources at this item of the budget (point 19 from Appendix No 2 to art. 8, par. 1 from the Law on the State budget of the Republic of Bulgaria for year 2005). In addition, the committee will make an ex officio check on whether the non-profit legal entity is registered in the Central Registry with the Ministry of Justice. Based on the minutes of the committee, the Prime minister will submit in the Council of ministers a draft of a government decree for the distribution of the subsidy. The full list of NGOs, which receive subsidy from the State budget may be found in the Law on the State budget of the Republic of Bulgaria for year 2005, published at BCNL’s website in section Legal acts in force/Laws. For more information you can write at our forum on BCNL’s website or to our e-mail: info@bcnl.org.