07.04.2022
The European Commission gives the green light to Bulgaria’s Recovery and Resilience Plan (RRP), said the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen at the news conference with Prime Minister Kiril Petkov. The President personally pledged the Commission’s support for the Plan, which she described as exclusive, and one of the strongest green plans within the European Union. In her words, the Plan meets very strict requirements and conditions while it combines the green transition with reforms.
Prime Minister Kiril Petkov stressed that work to proceed with the RRP, which is worth BGN 13.5 billion starts today. The RRP is innovative and will finance the change in Bulgaria, the Prime Minister said as he emphasized the possibility to transform the national economy and to have guaranteed energy security and independence. Also, the RRP supports reforms towards the rule of law by stronger control on the Prosecutor General and gives a push to processes to make Bulgaria a transparent and law-abiding state. The RRP will invest in education and science, in innovation, healthcare, the Bulgarian railways and state-of-the-art technologies so as to unleash the country’s geothermal potential. Kiril Petkov recalled that the gas Interconnector Greece-Bulgaria (IGB) will be completed by June and along with the Recovery and Resilience Plan will bring great energy independence to the country.
The President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen specially thanked Bulgaria for its support given to the people fleeing the war in Ukraine. Further, she stressed the importance of good neighborly relations within the region and recalled that in 2020 the European Council took the decision to open accession negotiations with Albania and the Republic of North Macedonia. Ursula von der Leyen assured that the protection of minorities is a fundamental value of the EU and a topic of attention. As she said, ours is a hard and turbulent time and will determine the future of Europe. We must keep our promises to our partners and friends and I count on Bulgaria’s ability to steer the course with skill, the President of the European Commission said in conclusion.
Within her visit to Sofia Ursula von der Leyen visited, together with Prime Minister Kiril Petkov, the Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski” which is one of the beneficiaries under the Recovery and Resilience Plan. They attended a presentation of innovative companies’ projects.
