site.btaBulgaria Races to Pass Eight Key Laws to Secure Final NRRP Payments, Ministry of Innovation and Growth Report Shows

A Ministry of Innovation and Growth (MIG) report obtained by BTA on Wednesday shows that Bulgaria has eight pending legislative initiatives to meet National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP) commitments needed to justify its final two payment requests to the European Commission (EC).

The list also includes a legislative change required to unblock European Commission-held funds tied to the third payment, with deadlines for completing the remaining work set for March or April 2026.

Members of the National Assembly’s Committee on Budget and Finance are set to review and vote on a draft bill amending the Corporate Income Tax Act. The text has been submitted to the National Assembly and registered as Bill No. 51-602-01-4. According to the report, the bill also introduces annual tax depreciation for electric vehicles. The National Assembly’s deadline for adoption is March 31, 2026. The initiative is linked to the NRRP’s fourth payment.

MPs on the National Assembly’s Committee on Regional Policy, Public Works and Local Self-Government are also set to consider three draft bills. The first concerns amendments to the Water Supply and Sewerage Act. The draft has been submitted to the National Assembly, registered as Bill No. 51-502-01-38, and has passed first reading. It envisions regional delineation and pricing related to the provision of water supply and sewerage services. The adoption deadline is also the end of March 2026, and the measure is linked to the fourth payment request.

The committee is also due to rule on draft amendments to the Spatial Planning Act, with the draft currently being prepared by the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works (MRDPW). The report says an option is also being discussed under which an amendment to the Spatial Planning Act could be avoided. The draft is expected to regulate the electronic provision of administrative services related to spatial planning, investment design, and the issuing of construction permits. The final deadline for the legislative procedure is set for April 30, 2026. The changes are linked to the final, fifth NRRP payment.

MPs on the National Assembly’s Committee on Energy are tasked with draft amendments to the Renewable Energy Act, with transitional and final provisions also including amendments to the Energy Act. The status of this initiative is as follows: the draft bill was approved at a meeting of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Bulgaria on January 28, 2026, and has yet to be submitted to the National Assembly. Under the Renewable Energy Act changes linked to the NRRP, the bill regulates the connection of onshore wind power plants and eases the licensing procedure for electricity distribution in the power transmission grid. The Energy Act changes introduce an obligation for municipalities with populations above 5,000 to provide sites for at least one publicly accessible charging station. The deadline is March 31, 2026, and the texts are linked to the fourth and fifth NRRP payments.

Members of the Committee on Constitutional and Legal Affairs and the Committee on Prevention and Counteraction of Corruption are responsible for three legislative initiatives. The first is the Law on Transparency and Integrity in Governance (Lobbying Activities Act). The draft bill has been published for public consultation, which runs until 2 March 2026. The next steps are to close the consultation process, obtain approval from the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Bulgaria, and submit the bill to the National Assembly. The draft establishes rules and standards for lobbying, aimed at ensuring transparency and integrity in lobbying activities. The deadline is 31 March, and this measure underpins the request for the fourth payment under the NRRP.

The second initiative is a draft bill to amend the Criminal Procedure Code. The bill is being prepared by the Ministry of Justice and is expected to refine the relevant provisions, accelerate investigations, and strengthen oversight of prosecutors’ decisions to terminate or suspend proceedings. The deadline is 30 April 2026, and it is linked to unblocking the funds suspended under the NRRP’s third payment.

The third initiative concerns a draft bill to amend the Public Procurement Act. The draft is being prepared by the Public Procurement Agency (PPA) and has been coordinated with the European Commission. It has yet to be published for public consultation, approved by the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Bulgaria, and submitted to the National Assembly. The bill introduces an obligation for contracting authorities to publish annual indicative procurement plans in the Centralized Automated Information System Electronic Public Procurement (CAIS EPP). The deadline is 30 April 2026, and the reform is linked to the fifth NRRP payment.

Finally, members of the Committee on Transport and Communications are expected to vote on the Public Transport Act. The draft has completed public consultation, and the next steps are approval by the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Bulgaria and submission to the National Assembly. The bill provides for the establishment of a transport network with coordinated timetables, as well as the creation and maintenance of a national system for a single transport document. The deadline for completing the legislative procedure is 31 March 2026, and it is linked to the fourth NRRP payment.

In July 2025, the European Commission and the Council of the European Union approved amendments to the NRRP proposed by the Rosen Zhelyazkov Cabinet. The plan was revised in response to delays in implementing the country’s reform and investment commitments, given that the mechanism runs until August 2026, and following the addition of a REPowerEU chapter aimed at meeting Europe’s objective of ending dependence on Russian fossil fuels before 2030. At the time, Bulgaria was the only EU Member State that had not included such a chapter in its plan. Following the revision, the number of milestones and targets fell from 321 to 259, and the number of NRRP disbursements was reduced from nine to five.