Bulgaria's Recovery and Sustainability Plan is expected to be approved by March 15. Such assurances have been given to the government, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Asen Vassilev, who was heard today in the plenary hall, announced to deputies.
He reminded that Bulgaria can start preliminary implementation of the projects. He estimates that a total of about BGN 5-6 billion can be agreed within the year. He added that this still depends on the implementation of the plan by individual agencies and managing authorities. He reminded that the budget for the year includes BGN 1.3 billion in revenues from advances on the implementation of projects under the plan and BGN 1.6 billion in expenditures on them.
He believes that a large part of the energy projects can be agreed within the year, and for RES projects it is planned to develop in stages over the four years, which covers the entire plan.
"Bulgaria does not want to give up its energy independence. That is why we did not agree to close coal-fired power plants and switch them to gas. This would put us in a very disadvantageous position to receive natural gas from a source that is currently at war," Vasilev said.
Unlike the operational programs, the money under the plan will be returned if we do not do our work on the reforms, Vassilev stressed. Therefore, the rule of law has much more ambitious goals than the first version of the plan, he said, noting that all elements of the coalition agreement on the subject are included, except those that require a constitutional majority to adopt them.
