European Commission outlines steps to unlock Bulgaria’s withheld payments - EXCLUSIVE
CE Report presents an exclusive interview with Anna Wartberger, Press Officer at the European Commission, discussing the challenges Bulgaria faces in meeting key milestones under its Recovery and Resilience Plan. She provides insight into the partial suspension of funds, the specific anti-corruption and judicial reforms that remain outstanding, and the Commission’s expectations for completing these reforms to unlock the withheld payments.
Which concrete deficiencies led the European Commission to conclude that milestone 220 on the anti-corruption body was not satisfactorily fulfilled at this stage? What specific elements of milestone 222 related to criminal procedure legislation and the accountability of the chief prosecutor remain incomplete?
The detailed assessment of the fulfilment of milestone 220 is available in the Commission Implementing Decision of 22.12.2025 on the partial suspension of the disbursement of the third instalment of the non-repayable support for Bulgaria.
What measures does the Commission expect Bulgaria to prioritize within the six-month deadline in order to unlock the withheld €152.896 million?
The Commission encourages the Bulgarian authorities to address the outstanding commitments identified in the Commission’s suspension decision of 22 December 2025.
With regards to milestone 220, this would entail first ensuring the legal framework for the set-up of the Anti-corruption Commission meets the requirements of the preceding milestone 218, and then making the body operational, as required by milestone 220.
As for milestone 222, the Bulgarian authorities shall address three outstanding requirements of the milestone with regard to procedures for acceleration of investigations, judicial review over terminations of investigations, and ensuring the possibility to appoint a controlling prosecutor when investigations of the Prosecutor General or their deputies are terminated.
How does the partial disbursement affect the overall timeline and credibility of Bulgaria’s Recovery and Resilience Plan implementation?
The payment suspension procedure gives Member States additional time to fulfil outstanding milestones or targets, while receiving a payment linked to the milestones and targets that have been satisfactorily fulfilled. The procedure is not punitive but designed to help Member States stay on track with their recovery plans and still receive payments while the implementation of some commitments is ongoing.
The partial disbursement does not prevent Bulgaria from implementing its remaining commitments and submitting new payment requests.
Bulgaria has fulfilled a high number of milestones and targets, including several related to important reforms. It is therefore ever more important for Bulgaria to intensify its efforts and fulfil the outstanding commitments, in order to make the best use of its RRF allocation.
Could further delays in judicial or anti-corruption reforms impact future payment requests under the Recovery and Resilience Facility?
As a rule, the Commission does not comment on hypothetical situations. The Commission remains in active dialogue with the Bulgarian authorities and supports them in the implementation process.
Photo: European Commission
This interview was prepared by Julian Müller
