Brussels funding for bridges in question

The European Commission has passed a bill for €63 million from the EU's Cohesion Fund towards the rebuilding of Bratislava's Old Bridge and the construction of a tram line to the borough of Petržalka, said the Transport, Construction and Regional Development Ministry on Thursday. That said the funding is conditional on completing the work by the end of this year. The project is behind schedule by 10 weeks so far, due to a search for suspected mines, uncooperative weather and accidents. In light of the project being well behind the schedule, the mayor of Bratislava Ivo Nesrovnal visited the site on 15^th January and instructed the contractors to work on the project around-the-clock as of March. Also Trenčín are running the risk of not having the construction of a railway bridge worth €250 million reimbursed by Brussels, Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) MP Ľubomír Galko said on Thursday. SaS says that a consortium known as 'Association Below Brezina' won the tender with a bid that was €45 million higher than competitors while failing to comply with procurement regulations. The EU-funded project has prompted a probe from the European Anti-fraud Office (OLAF).