The European Commission has blocked over 200 million euros from Bulgaria's PNRR. Unresolved issues with anti-corruption reform
Brussels has temporarily blocked a third of the European funds intended for Bulgaria's recovery plan, due to delays in the reform of the anti-corruption institution.
Bulgaria could lose European money PHOTO: The truth
The decision was taken after the European Commission's evaluation showed that Sofia did not meet an essential milestone in the reform plan, related to the restructuring of the Commission for the fight against corruption and the confiscation of illegally acquired assets, writes Mediafax.
Sofia has six months to comply
“The funds are tied to a key milestone regarding the restructuring of the anti-corruption institution. As this milestone has not been reached, the amount is currently withheld”a spokesman for the European Commission confirmed on Wednesday, quoted by the Bulgarian news agency Novinite. Thus, Bulgaria will receive only 439 million euros out of the 653 million requested, one third less.
However, Brussels noted that the decision is not final: “Bulgaria has six months to fulfill the necessary conditions and will be able to access the rest of the funds,” the Commission specified. The European executive has also conveyed that it will provide support for the completion of the reforms of the authorities in Sofia.
Blockage at the Anticorruption Commission
The second payment request submitted by Bulgaria to the European Commission included 59 objectives and milestones, intended to demonstrate progress in economic and institutional reforms. Of these, 20 concerned important legislative changes, necessary to strengthen the rule of law and increase transparency in the public sector. To fulfill them, the Bulgarian government amended 15 laws and adopted three new normative acts.
However, the most important reform, the restructuring of the Commission for Combating Corruption and the Confiscation of Illegally Acquired Assets, has not been completed.
The reform entails reorganizing the institution, clarifying the powers and separating the functions of investigating corruption cases from those regarding the confiscation of illegally obtained assets, in order to avoid conflicts of interest and to make investigations more efficient. Although some of the changes were discussed in Parliament, the full legislative package was not adopted, prompting Brussels to consider the landmark “unfulfilled”.
Second postponement for Bulgaria
This is not the first delay for Bulgaria in accessing European funds. In April, the government in Sofia voluntarily withdrew its second payment request after finding that some of the reforms assumed by the national plan had not yet been implemented. Among them, the digitization of public administration, the efficiency of the judicial system and the adoption of laws to combat corruption.
The Bulgarian executive feared that, in the absence of these advances, Brussels could reject the request and impose financial corrections, which would have led to significant losses. After a few months, Bulgaria amended the recovery plan and resubmitted the updated request. However, the final evaluation carried out by the European Commission at the beginning of October showed that the reform of the Anti-Corruption Commission remains incomplete. As a result, on Wednesday, the European executive decided to temporarily block part of the amount, until all the required conditions are met.
“Bulgaria must demonstrate full compliance with this key milestone before the withheld funds are released,” sent the European Commission.
