Briefing - Bulgaria's National Recovery and Resilience Plan: Latest state of play - 16-01-2026
Under the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF), the EU response to the COVID-19 crisis, Bulgaria is set to receive €6 174.1 million in grants, including €479.3 million under REPowerEU and €6 million from the Brexit Adjustment Reserve. Any additional financing must be covered by national or private co-funding. Bulgaria's national recovery and resilience plan (NRRP) corresponds to 10.1 % of its 2019 gross domestic product (GDP) (the RRF amounts to 5.2 % of EU-27 2019 GDP), the eighth-highest share in the EU, and all RRF funds must be paid out by end-2026. The plan was updated twice in 2025: in July, to introduce the new REPowerEU chapter, and in November, to amend measures that were partially no longer achievable or to implement better alternatives. So far, Bulgaria has received three payments of €3 273.2 million. It has absorbed 53 % of available RRF funds, below the 61.1 % EU average, and completed 60.4 % of its milestones and targets. The Bulgarian plan aims to address the main challenges and systemic weaknesses of Bulgaria's economy and builds on the national development programme BULGARIA 2030. The latter proposes solutions for medium-term growth by setting strategic objectives (e.g. accelerated economic development, demographic upswing and reduced inequalities). The NRRP extends the scope of reforms and investment while ensuring coherence with measures under EU cohesion policy. Bulgaria is one of the main beneficiaries of EU funds (as a share of GDP) over the 2021 2027 financing period, and complementarity with RRF resources is relevant in several fields. The amended plan supports climate objectives with 49.9 % of the total RRF funds (and 99.5 % of the proposed REPowerEU measures), while 20.7 % goes to digital objectives. Both green and digital spending targets have thus been exceeded. The European Parliament participates in interinstitutional forums for cooperation and discussion on the implementation of the RRF, and scrutinises the European Commission's work. This briefing is one in a series covering all EU Member States. Fifth edition. Previous editions were drafted by Velina Lilyanova. The 'NGEU delivery' briefings are updated at key stages throughout the lifecycle of the plans.
Source : © European Union, 2026 - EP
03:45
03:24
15:50
