Sofia: Bulgaria expects to receive an additional €109 million from the European Union this week under its National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP), Deputy Prime Minister Atanas Pekanov said, expressing confidence that the country can ultimately secure more than 90 percent of the funding available under the programme despite years of implementation delays.
Speaking in a televised interview, Pekanov said Bulgaria has already received slightly more than 70 percent of its allocated recovery funds and that accelerating reforms remains the government’s top priority to maximize access to European financing.
According to the deputy prime minister, the latest payment was unlocked after Bulgaria swiftly adopted key anti-corruption legislation that had been identified by the European Commission as a prerequisite for further disbursements.
He said the government enacted the Law on Counteracting Corruption among Persons Holding Public Office along with legislation strengthening accountability mechanisms for the Prosecutor General, satisfying commitments that had delayed the release of additional EU funds.
Pekanov noted that more than €400 million had previously been frozen because reforms linked to the country’s Anti-Corruption Commission had not been completed. The risk was removed after parliament approved the necessary legislation, appointed members of the commission and enabled the institution to begin operations.
He described the establishment of the anti-corruption framework as one of the government’s first major commitments and said it had helped restore confidence among European institutions regarding Bulgaria’s reform agenda.
Despite the positive developments, the deputy prime minister acknowledged that Bulgaria could still face a financial penalty related to the fifth payment under the recovery plan after the Supreme Court of Cassation failed to appoint one of the required members of the Anti-Corruption Commission.
Pekanov said the exact scale of any deduction would become clearer in September but expressed hope that any penalty would remain limited. He also voiced optimism that the Supreme Court would revisit the issue and complete the appointment process.
The deputy prime minister stressed that Bulgaria now faces a tight implementation timetable, with all projects financed under the Recovery and Resilience Plan required to be completed by the end of August.
He said construction projects, infrastructure works, equipment deliveries and all agreed structural reforms must be finalized before the deadline to ensure full compliance with the programme’s requirements.
Among the flagship projects nearing completion is Sofia’s Georgi Asparuhov metro station, which Pekanov cited as one of several major investments supported through the European recovery mechanism.
The National Recovery and Resilience Plan forms part of the European Union’s post-pandemic recovery programme, providing member states with grants and financing linked to the implementation of economic reforms, governance improvements and strategic public investment projects. Bulgaria continues to work towards meeting all remaining milestones to maximize access to the funds before the programme concludes.
