Pekanov: Bulgaria Expected to Receive Between 15 Billion and 20 Billion Euro from the EU by 2034, but Reforms Will Be Required

Intensive talks have been held with the European Commission in recent weeks on the parameters of the 2027 state budget. The final parameters will be presented on Friday. This was announced by Deputy Prime Minister Atanas Pekanov at a briefing at the Council of Ministers.

The Deputy Prime Minister also explained that Bulgaria is beginning preparations for its National Partnership Plan for the 2028-2034 period, which will set out investments and reforms aimed at achieving national priorities.

"With the approval of the Council of Ministers, today we are launching the official procedure for programming and planning the funds from the next EU budget for the new 2028-2034 programming period," he said.

Bulgaria, like the other European Union member states, must draw up a national and regional partnership plan. It will include investments and reforms based on a model similar to that of the Recovery and Resilience Plan, the Deputy Prime Minister explained.

Next week, the first official meeting with all ministries will take place, during which the European Commission's latest guidelines for structuring the process will be presented. Talks with social partners, the National Association of Municipalities in the Republic of Bulgaria, trade unions and employers' organisations are also expected to begin within the next two weeks.

There is still no final clarity regarding the total financial resources that will be available to Bulgaria during the next programming period. This is due to the ongoing negotiations at EU level on the size of the next multiannual EU budget. Preliminary estimates put the amount at between 15 billion and 20 billion Euro.

"The planned investments will have to be linked to specific reforms, taking into account both national priorities and the European Commission's country-specific recommendations for Bulgaria," Pekanov said.

The first draft of the plan is expected to be presented in the spring, while preparing the final version will take several months. The Deputy Prime Minister stressed that the reforms must be realistic and achievable within the 2028-2034 period.