Annex: Amendments to Bulgaria's Recovery and Resilience Plan

The Council of the EU (General Secretariat of the Council) has published an annex to the Council Implementing Decision amending the 4 May 2022 approval of the assessment of Bulgaria’s Recovery and Resilience Plan.

• Main announcement: The annex details the reforms and investments across 13 components (education, research & innovation, smart industry, low-carbon energy, biodiversity, agriculture, digital connectivity, transport, local development, business environment, social inclusion, healthcare, REPowerEU), sets milestones/targets/timetables, and specifies financial arrangements including total plan cost EUR 6,174,106,145 and the REPowerEU chapter EUR 498,208,098, with implementation and monitoring roles assigned to national bodies and EU partners (e.g., EIF, InvestEU, Bulgarian Development Bank, ESO EAD). Key scheduled targets include grid, storage and renewables capacity, energy-storage testing protocols, emissions reduction targets and legal acts to liberalise electricity markets (timelines up to 2026).

• Background and implementation details: The annex lists binding milestones (entry into force of specific laws, contract signatures, procurement deliveries) and financial instalments (five instalments with specified EUR amounts and milestone lists). It also sets concrete technical targets (e.g., 1600 MW additional cross-border transmission capacity; 3000 MWh / 1900 MWh storage testing protocols in different components; construction/renovation counts for schools, hospitals, metro sections) and designates monitoring and audit responsibilities to national authorities (National Fund Directorate, Central Coordination Unit, Executive Agency “Audit of EU Funds”).