Deputy Prime Minister Meglena Plugchieva of Bulgaria

The blow was not evaded but Plugchieva devoted all her spirit and strength to the attempt.

Bulgarian Deputy Prime Minister Meglena Plugchieva said that an independent audit released Monday of the National Road Infrastructure Fund showed mishandling of funds and conflicts of interest.

Plugchieva has also requested the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) to carry out as many missions as they can in Bulgaria in order to secure transparency.

A document of critical solidarity" is what Plugchieva said of the EC annual report.

insufficient progress in this field.

At a Committee sitting Plugchieva said that the number of contracted projects under the operational programmes had leapt over the past 5-6 months, during which period the cost of the contracts had reached nearly 700 million euros.

Plugchieva said several institutions could be sanctioned for insufficient progress in this field.

Plugchieva was appointed special Deputy Prime Minister without portfolio late last month amid a corruption scandal in Bulgaria’s Interior Ministry, which led Prime Minister Sergey Stanishev took revamp his cabinet.

Acknowledging the discontent, Plugchieva says serving the public outweighs pleasing Europe.

Plugchieva said Bulgaria had "a pressing need" for funds but warned: "This is European taxpayers' money and we cannot allow any misuse.

Plugchieva expresses her disappointment from the decision of Brussels to freeze the EUR 220 million from the subsidies from the EU funds.

Asked whether Bulgaria has the political will to make reforms, Plugchieva said that her country is willing to fight the corruption.

Meglena Plugchieva, Deputy prime ministerMs Plugchieva was recalled in April from a high-profile post as ambassador to Germany to undertake the daunting task of improving transparency and co-ordinating EU programmes after accusations of corruption by the European Commission.

The current Bulgarian Ambassador to Germany Meglena Plugchieva was nominated Tuesday for Deputy Prime Minister in charge of coordinating the EU funding in the government of PM Sergey Stanishev.

On Tuesday Meglena Plugchieva was nominated for Bulgaria's Deputy Prime Minister who will be in charge of monitoring and coordinating the EU funding in the last year of the three-way coalition government of PM Sergey Stanishev.

Meglena Plugchieva was born on February 12, 1956, in the Black Sea town of Balchik.

In 2001-2004 Plugchieva was the Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Forests in the government of Bulgaria's former tsar Simeon Saxe-Coburg, and resigned as a member of the Supreme Council of the Bulgarian Socialist Party because of taking this position.

Since November 2004 Plugchieva has been Bulgaria's Ambassador to the Federal Republic of Germany.

Plugchieva is fluent in German, Russia, and English.

Bulgaria's new Deputy PM Meglena Plugchieva was decided to be placed in charge of the unit to combat frauds with EU funds during Saturday's Coalition Council meeting.

To tackle this issue, Plugchieva has arranged the forming of a new working group of the Finance Ministry and the Ministry of State Administration.

Bulgaria's former ambassador to Germany Meglena Plugchieva was appointed a special Deputy Prime Minister without portfolio in late April as PM Stanishev made staff changes in his cabinet in an attempt to address criticisms about the inefficient absorption of EU funds.

Plugchieva was in Brussels on Friday to discuss the matter with EU officials.

Bulgaria's Deputy Prime Minister in charge of EU funds management, Meglena Plugchieva has not only fought tooth and nail for the suspended EU funds but she was also one of the first who dared tell Brussels: "We have problems but you have to help US.