NextGenerationEU: Bulgaria submits a request to amend the Recovery and Sustainability Plan

On Friday, Bulgaria sent the European Commission a request to amend its Recovery and Sustainability Plan.

Bulgaria's request is based on the need to take into account the downward revision of the maximum amount of grants under the Recovery and Sustainability Mechanism, from EUR 6.27 billion to EUR 5.69 billion. The revision is part of the June 2022 update of the Recovery and Sustainability Mechanism grant allocation ratio and reflects Bulgaria's relatively better economic performance in 2020 and 2021 compared to the original forecast.

Bulgaria's proposed amendment to the plan, which will now be evaluated by the Commission, affects 17 investments included in the original plan. Funding for some of these investments has been reduced, such as investments related to the energy efficiency of public buildings, the national renewable energy storage infrastructure and the modernization of hospital facilities. Three investments have been removed from the plan, namely those supporting the digital transformation of "Bulgarian Post", the construction of an intermodal transport terminal in Ruse, and the digitization of management, control and efficient use of water.

The Commission now has up to two months to assess whether the amended plan still meets all the assessment criteria under the Recovery and Sustainability Facility Regulation. If the Commission's assessment is positive, it will make a proposal for an amended implementation decision of the Council to reflect the changes in the Bulgarian plan. Member States will then have up to four weeks to approve the Commission's assessment.