The caretaker government announced on Monday that it has secured EUR 400 million through the second and third payments of Bulgaria’s Recovery and Resilience Plan, following an extension of key condition deadlines negotiated with the European Commission. Caretaker Prime Minister Andrey Gurov stated this during a joint briefing with Deputy Prime Minister for EU funds Maria Nedina. Gurov explained that the extension pertains to requirements concerning anti-corruption legislation and mechanisms for investigating the Prosecutor General.
He noted that when the caretaker cabinet assumed office in late February, its primary objectives were submitting a request for the fourth payment and securing nearly half a billion euros from the second and third tranches. Previously, these funds were reportedly blocked due to insufficient progress on anti-corruption reforms and establishing an independent investigation mechanism for the prosecutor general. “In early April, we requested EUR 900 million under the fourth payment.
More importantly, we did not write off the EUR 400 million that had been abandoned by the previous government,” Gurov stated. He added that Bulgaria faced a potential final refusal from the European Commission on May 4, but intensive negotiations led by Nedina and her team resulted in an extension of the compliance deadline. Gurov emphasized that the extension mandates the incoming government and parliamentary majority to establish a new anti-corruption commission and ensure an independent investigation of the Prosecutor General.
He expressed hope that the new majority will utilize the gained time to avoid further delays. The caretaker Prime Minister concluded by stating that the government is leaving approximately EUR 2 billion more in the budget for the next regular government.
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