Bulgaria expects up to €20B from next EU budget
Bulgaria is launching the formal process of programming and planning funds from the next EU budget for 2028-2034, with the indicative amount estimated at between EUR 15-EUR 20 billion, Deputy Prime Minister Atanas Pekanov said on Wednesday.
Pekanov clarified that the amount has not yet been finalized, as negotiations on the overall size of the future EU budget are still ongoing.
According to Pekanov, Bulgaria, like the other EU Member States, must draw up a single national and regional partnership plan covering investments and reforms, similar to the Recovery and Resilience Plan.
He identified higher economic growth, social cohesion, world-class education, accessible healthcare throughout the country, infrastructure and energy projects, transport and connectivity as key priorities, CE Report quotes BTA.
Pekanov said that the first official meeting with all ministries will take place next week, when the European Commission's current guidelines for organizing the process will be presented. Over the following two weeks, Pekanov will also invite representatives of the National Association of Municipalities in the Republic of Bulgaria, trade unions and employers' organizations for discussions.
He said that months of discussions lay ahead to prepare a plan reflecting national needs, the government's priorities and the needs of society. The intention is to present an initial version in the spring, while holding parallel talks with the European Commission on the proposed investments and reforms, Pekanov added.
"Money in exchange for reforms is the approach now being incorporated into all EU funding, and one that Bulgaria supports," Pekanov said. He stressed that the reforms must be realistic, achievable within the 2028-2034 period and aligned with national priorities and the European Commission's country-specific recommendations.
Pekanov declined to commit to a deadline for finalizing the plan, as this would also depend on the conclusion of negotiations among Member States on the EU budget. Bulgaria is pushing for an agreement on the overall size of the budget to be reached by the end of this year, although it remains uncertain whether this will happen, he noted.
Asked about Bulgaria's 2027 budget, Pekanov said that intensive discussions had been held with the European Commission in recent weeks. The budget will be presented on Friday, when its final parameters will be announced, he added.
According to Pekanov, the accumulation of social spending and public sector wage increases over the past six years without secured funding had created structural problems that could not be resolved within a single year. He referred to a media report describing this accumulation as a "snowball effect" and noted that tax revenues remained at around 30% of gross domestic product.
He said that every effort was being made to reduce the deficit while maintaining income policies and support for people in need, children and families. According to him, the government was looking for ways to optimize spending across institutions and ministries and cut expenditure where it had been excessive.
Earlier this week, the Bulgarian National Audit Office published three audit reports covering the management of the Ministry of Finance, the Road Infrastructure Agency and the State Social Insurance system from the beginning of 2020 to the end of May 2026. Pekanov said the published audits had revealed excessive spending in recent years and the assumption of new financial obligations without secured funding.
Photo: atanaspekanov.com
