The European Commission recently approved Bulgaria’s proposed amendments to its Recovery and Sustainability Plan, along with projects and reforms under the RepowerEU initiative. This development marks a significant turnaround following four years of stagnation in implementing the plan. The country’s Deputy Prime Minister, Tomislav Donchev, who has led the efforts to renegotiate the plan, secured an additional funding boost estimated between 800 and 900 million euros, as highlighted by a leading political figure.

The Deputy Prime Minister described the approved amendments as a crucial lifeline for the plan, noting that the situation was dire just months earlier. Several reforms, including the liberalization of the electricity market for household consumers, had faced delays, and many investments totaling over one billion euros remained incomplete due to a lack of public procurement processes over the past four years.

To address these issues, the plan was extensively revised. Projects that proved unfeasible were removed, while those progressing well received supplementary funding. The European Commission’s approval of the amendment follows intensive negotiations and brings Bulgaria one step closer to securing the next tranche of payments, contingent upon the National Assembly passing the necessary legislation.

Looking ahead, Donchev emphasized an ambitious agenda aimed at increasing the volume of payments while reducing their frequency. The goal for the current year is to secure at least 1.5 billion euros from the European Commission to prevent liquidity challenges, given that approximately 1.2 billion euros have already been disbursed. He called on all stakeholders to intensify their efforts, reminding that the deadline to fully utilize the plan’s resources is just over a year away.