Only three months left to allocate 60% of Phare 2000 fund, admit officials

" Three months before the deadline for using pre-accession funds, 60% of the Phare 2000 fund has yet to be contracted," admitted Krystyna Gurbiel the Polish co-ordinator for utilization of EU funds. There is also some doubt surrounding part of an ISPA fund, as a tender concerning a sewage system in Bydgoszcz has not yet been completed. At the beginning of November this year the EU will decide how much Poland will receive in structural funding in the first 3 years of accession (2003-2006). The European Commission is proposing euro 14 billion, but some countries point out that if Poland has problems utilizing much smaller amounts, the Commission should propose less. The Polish side defends itself, however, claiming that EU procedures are too complicated, leaving insufficient time for the actual tender itself. The Commission does not agree with this opinion and in this year's report will point out that Poland is unable to properly use funds due to its lack of sufficiently experienced administrative personnel. (Rzeczpospolita, p. B1) A.L.