site.btaParliament Can Adopt Necessary Legislation to Secure Remaining EUR 2.5 Bln Under Recovery Plan

It is possible for the current National Assembly to adopt all amendments required for Bulgaria to receive the remaining EUR 2.5 billion under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan), said Deputy Prime Minister and Outgoing Minister of Innovation and Growth Tomislav Donchev in a televised interview on Saturday.

Asked whether the present legislature would have enough time to pass all the necessary amendments to avoid losing the fourth and fifth payments totaling EUR 2.5 billion, Donchev said this goal should be pursued because it is achievable. According to him, the two payments are linked to amendments to eight laws. Two have already been adopted by Parliament, four are currently being reviewed by the parliamentary committees, and two are at the level of the Council of Ministers. All draft texts have been prepared and coordinated with the European Commission, he added.

“These are not laws that would prompt public or political controversy,” Donchev said. “The question is whether to follow the standard procedure of submitting them to Parliament through the Council of Ministers, which is the longest and most transparent process, or to have them introduced as MPs’ initiatives, which would significantly shorten the adoption timeline.”

Donchev recalled that so far Bulgaria has received approximately EUR 4 billion under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan.