Bulgaria will be given six months to carry out the necessary reforms connected with the liberalisation of the energy market, otherwise it stands to lose EUR 653 million which it should receive as a second payment under the Recovery and Resilience Facility, BNR’s correspondent in Brussels Anguelina Piskova reports.

The Commission found that eight milestones and one target have not been satisfactorily fulfilled at this stage. These concern important reforms regarding the liberalisation of the energy market, boosting the electricity generation from renewable sources, the Roadmap to Climate, anti-corruption, the introduction of mandatory judicial mediation, public procurement and entrepreneurship, the European Commission writes in its preliminary assessment of Bulgaria's second payment request under the Recovery and Resilience Facility. 

The Commission has communicated to Bulgaria the reasons why it considers the above-mentioned milestones and target not to be satisfactorily fulfilled. Bulgaria now has one month to submit its observations to the Commission. Should the Commission, following Bulgaria's observations, confirm its assessment that some or all of the milestones and the target in question have not been satisfactorily fulfilled, it will suspend the corresponding part of the payment. The suspended amount will be determined by applying the Commission's methodology for payment suspensions (outlined in Annex II of the Communication published on 21 February 2023), which applies to all Member States, and which puts significant weight on key reform milestones.

From that moment, Bulgaria will have a period of six months to take action and fulfil the outstanding commitments. At the end of this period, the Commission will assess whether these milestones and a target have been satisfactorily fulfilled. If so, it will lift the suspension and proceed with the payment of the suspended amount, the European Commission writes in its preliminary assessment of Bulgaria's second payment request under the Recovery and Resilience Facility.