September 14 (BTA) - Meeting with representatives of the
Bulgarian Branch Chamber ROADS and the Bulgarian Construction
Chamber on Tuesday, President Rumen Radev said the whole public
procurement and payment process in the road maintenance and road
 construction sector should be brought to light, the President's
 Press Secretariat reported. Caretaker Finance Minister Asen
Vassilev was also at the meeting.

Radev called for an end to the previous government's practice of
 flouting the State Budget Act by decreeing payments for road
works far in excess of the budget limits. "The public
procurement procedures must be clean, based on fair competition,
 and the contracts must be concluded at their real price," he
argued.

Commenting on road workers' protests, the President said the
government has responsibilities towards them. "Sustainable
solutions should be sought," he urged.

The Bulgarian Branch Chamber ROADS said the huge debt which the
government owes to road maintenance and road construction
companies creates much tension in the sector. They expressed
readiness for dialogue with the caretaker government in order to
 find a viable solution. They complained that the award of
contracts for maintenance or construction of national roads has
been practically suspended. RY/VE

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