site.btaPM and EC President Discuss Fourth Payment Request under Recovery and Resilience Plan

Caretaker Prime Minister Andrey Gurov discussed the preparation of the fourth payment request under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan in a phone call with European Commission (EC) President Ursula von der Leyen, the government press service reported on Tuesday. During the conversation, Gurov highlighted the caretaker cabinet’s two main priorities regarding the plan.

First, Gurov emphasized the preparation and submission of the request for the fourth payment, with the goal of Bulgaria receiving new financial resources for investments in early summer. Second, he emphasized the government’s efforts to make progress on the measures for which the EC has withheld funds due to non-compliance. He noted the cabinet’s commitment to adhering to the timeline for meeting the requirements for the effective absorption of European funds.

Von der Leyen expressed support for the caretaker government in its efforts to convince the Bulgarian Parliament to adopt the necessary legislation that will allow Bulgaria to receive the funds.

On March 11, caretaker Deputy Prime Minister for European Funding Maria Nedina said that the government is working on submitting a request for the fourth payment under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan on time. The payment could total EUR 900 million, with 25 milestones behind this amount.