13.06.2020
Prime Minister Boyko Borissov had a telephone conversation with the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen.
The two leaders discussed the EC's proposal for the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) for the period 2021-2027 and the "Next Generation EU" instrument created by the EC to recover from the coronavirus crisis. These are the two components of the Recovery Plan for Europe presented by the Commission on 27 May 2020.
Prime Minister Borissov expressed his gratitude for the enormous amount of work that the EC has done to prepare the Plan, as in the current situation it is very difficult to prepare a balanced proposal in the context of the challenges caused by COVID-19. "We believe that the Commission's proposal for the Recovery Plan for Europe is extremely balanced and we fully support it," said Prime Minister Boyko Borissov. The leaders of the European Council will discuss the EC proposal by videoconference next Friday.
Prime Minister Boyko Borissov pointed out that the MFF has allocated in a balanced way the funds for the Cohesion Policy, the Common Agricultural Policy, security and migration, and the Just Transition Fund.
Prime Minister Borissov informed the President of the European Commission about Bulgaria's progress in joining the Exchange Rate Mechanism II and the Banking Union. The Prime Minister underlined that the prudent fiscal policy of the government is among the achievements that our country can be proud of and can serve as an example. According to him, financial stability and discipline are among the main reasons for Bulgaria to be able to meet the COVID-19 crisis in a good condition and to respond with rapid health and socio-economic measures in support of both the people and business.
The "Next Generation EU" instrument, which was one of the highlights of the conversation between Boyko Borissov and Ursula von der Leyen, consists of 3 pillars: support to Member States with investments and reforms, kick-starting the EU economy by incentivizing private investments and addressing the lessons of the crisis. The last pillar envisages the strengthening of the Common European Civil Protection Mechanism, a new separate Health Programme, as well as the strengthening of the Horizon Europe Programme, which deals with the funding of vital research.
During the conversation, the three safety nets proposed by the EC were also discussed - the SURE instrument, the pandemic crisis support instrument to the European Stability Mechanism and the Pan-European Guarantee Fund to the European Investment Bank.
