(SOFIA) - Bulgaria called the European Commission's decision to cut access to 220 million euros Tuesday as "a disappointment" but vowed to press on with reforms to guarantee delivery of the remaining funds.

"The decision is unexpected and a disappointment for Bulgaria and its administration," the deputy prime minister for EU fund management, Meglena Plugchieva, said in a statement.

But she added: "The Bulgarian authorities will nevertheless continue working at the same accelerated rates and strictly implement the European rules and procedures to guarantee the correct and transparent use of all European funds."

In an unprecedented move, the European Union's executive arm upheld its July decision to definitively suspend 220 million euros (282 million dollars) of funds to Bulgaria over concerns of mismanagement and fraud.

The money was made available to Bulgaria under the pre-accession PHARE programme aimed at funding infrastructure projects, and helping strengthen institutions and the rule of law.

But the European Commission deemed Tuesday that Sofia had failed to correctly manage the money, meaning Bulgaria has effectively lost access to the funds, as the deadline for using the money expires on November 30.

An additional 600 million euros in EU road, regional development and farming subsidies for Bulgaria were also frozen in July and could also be lost.

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