Bulgaria Submits Request to Amend Recovery Plan with New REPowerEU Chapter
Brussels, The Gulf Observer: Bulgaria has formally submitted a request to the European Commission to modify its Recovery and Resilience Plan (RRP), introducing a new REPowerEU chapter aimed at reducing dependence on Russian fossil fuels and accelerating the green transition. The request, submitted on April 16, is made in accordance with Article 21 of the Recovery and Resilience Mechanism (RRM) Regulation.
The newly proposed REPowerEU chapter includes three major reforms and four investment initiatives designed to strengthen Bulgaria’s energy sector and support sustainable development. The reforms seek to improve energy poverty management, prepare for the liberalisation of the retail energy market, and enhance transparency in the process of connecting renewable and storage capacities to the grid. They also address improvements to the balancing energy market and the promotion of demand response capabilities.
The proposed investments will target the creation of an information system to identify energy-poor and vulnerable households, the adoption of renewable energy and electric vehicles within social services, and the expansion of electricity storage by scaling up current projects under the RESTORE initiative.
In addition to adding new elements, Bulgaria has also proposed to adjust or remove certain existing measures in its original plan. These revisions reflect changes in national circumstances that have affected the feasibility of some previously planned actions.
As part of this adjustment process, and due to outstanding issues related to its second payment request, Bulgaria formally withdrew the request on April 17, with the European Commission’s consent. The government intends to resubmit the request once the amended RRP is approved.
The European Commission will now review the revised plan to ensure its continued alignment with the criteria outlined in the Investigation and Budgetary Allocation (IBA) Regulation. If deemed satisfactory, the Commission will propose an amended Council Implementing Decision, after which EU Member States will have up to four weeks to endorse the revised assessment.
Bulgaria reiterated its commitment to fully utilize the allocated funding under the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) to promote sustainable energy reforms and strengthen its resilience in the face of current geopolitical and environmental challenges.
