EC Temporarily Withholds €215m in Recovery Funds from Bulgaria

The European Commission has confirmed it is temporarily withholding €215 million from Bulgaria under the EU Recovery and Resilience Facility.

A Commission spokesperson said on Monday that Brussels had approved a separate payment of €439 million for the country, but noted that part of the funding is being frozen due to Sofia’s failure so far to establish a politically independent anti-corruption commission.

Bulgaria has six months to meet the requirement. The Commission said it would remain in close contact with Bulgarian authorities and provide support to help them comply.

In early October, the Commission sent a formal letter requesting clarification on the missed target, giving Bulgaria one month to respond. It warned that if the condition was not fulfilled, release of the withheld funds would be delayed for a further six months.

Brussels recently granted preliminary approval for Bulgaria’s second request for recovery funds totalling €653 million. Bulgaria’s total grant allocation under the Recovery and Resilience Plan amounts to €6.17 billion.