Today, the Commission has partially greenlighted Bulgaria's third payment request for €1.6 billion under the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF), the centrepiece of NextGenerationEU – the Commission's post-pandemic programme to support Member State's recovery, economic growth, and competitiveness .
Following Bulgaria's third payment request of €1.6 billion submitted on 1 October 2025, the Commission found that Bulgaria delivered 22 reforms and 19 investments benefiting citizens and businesses, focussing on key areas such as the green and digital transition, research and innovation, healthcare, social protection, sustainable transport and modernisation of businesses.
The Commission found that Bulgaria has successfully completed 48 out of 50 milestones and targets corresponding to the 22 reforms and 19 investments, associated with the third payment request under its recovery and resilience plan.
This positive assessment marks a significant step towards the disbursement of EU funds to support Bulgaria's economic growth and resilience efforts.
In particular, flagship measures covered by the third payment request include the prohibition of new installations for production of electricity from coal or lignite, capping the annual CO2 emissions for existing coal and lignite plants, renewable sources for electricity production and storage facilities, and boosting the attractiveness of the healthcare profession.
The Commission also found that two milestones - setting up of an anti-corruption body and the entry into force of legal act(s) concerning the criminal proceedings and the accountability and criminal liability of the Prosecutor General – have not been satisfactorily fulfilled at this stage.
As a result, the Commission proposed to temporarily defer a portion of the payment in accordance with the RRF Regulation. This approach allows Member States to address outstanding milestones while still receiving funds for those milestones and targets that have been successfully completed.
Next steps
The Commission has now sent its preliminary assessment of Bulgaria's fulfilment of the milestones and targets required for this payment to the Economic and Financial Committee (EFC), which has four weeks to deliver its opinion. Then, the Commission can adopt a payment decision.
In parallel, the Commission has communicated to Bulgaria the reasons why it considers that two milestones are not satisfactorily fulfilled. Bulgaria now has one month to respond to this assessment.
If, after that, the Commission still considers the milestones not to be completed, it will temporarily withhold part of the payment. The amount withheld will be calculated using the Commission's standard method , outlined in Annex II of the RRF Communication.
Bulgaria will then have six months to take action and address any remaining requirements. Once the milestones are completed, the remaining part of the payment will be released.
The payment to Bulgaria for the already greenlighted milestones and targets can take place following the EFC's positive opinion and the adoption of a payment decision by the Commission.
Background
Bulgaria's Recovery and Resilience Plan includes a wide range of investment and reform measures, financed by €6.17 billion in grants.
