The Commission today adopted its Partnership Agreement with Bulgaria, which sets out the country's investment strategy under cohesion policy, for an amount of €11 billion for the period 2021-2027. Cohesion policy funds will promote economic, social and territorial cohesion in Bulgarian regions and contribute to the implementation of key EU priorities such as green and digital transition. These funds will also support policy areas where Bulgaria can improve and reduce regional disparities within the country.
The partnership agreement benefits from the support of funds from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+) and other cohesion funding.
Ecological transition and reduction of energy dependence
€2.4 billion from the ERDF and the Cohesion Fund will help Bulgaria achieve its climate goals.
In particular, €600 million will contribute to increasing the share of renewable energies to 27% of total energy consumption and to reducing energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions in public buildings. ERDF funds will also be used to recycle 70% of all packaging waste.
Furthermore, investments will also focus on reducing by more than a third (at least 35%) the share of the population exposed to the risk of natural disasters, such as floods or forest fires.
Closing the gap with the EU and supporting the most vulnerable regions
The funds will also help Bulgaria improve its basic infrastructure, particularly in regions where infrastructure investment is insufficient or absent. Almost half of the total cohesion policy funding, i.e. €4.2 billion, will be invested in the North-West, Centre-North and North-East regions, and in particular to co-finance the construction of the Shipka tunnel, the first tunnel through the Balkan Mountains.
Moreover, EU support for the business environment is expected to increase the percentage of innovative small and medium-sized enterprises that will create jobs and contribute to the growth of the Bulgarian economy, by 27.2% in 2016. to reach 32% in 2026.
Jobs of tomorrow: a more socially inclusive and digitally-friendly labor market
Bulgaria will invest €2.6 billion from the ESF+ to improve access to jobs, boost skills to help citizens succeed in the digital and green transition, and to ensure equal access to education and inclusive and quality training. This amount includes €315 million for youth employment support and €630 million for social inclusion measures, including €136 million to combat child poverty. €221 million will be devoted to the socio-economic integration of marginalized communities, such as the Roma.
Thanks to EU funding, the school dropout rate is expected to decrease by 2030 from 12.8% to 7%. Adult participation in education and training is expected to increase from 24.6% to 35.4%, while the employment rate is expected to rise from 73% to 79%. The population at risk of poverty and social exclusion is expected to decrease by 0.8 million, from 2.3 million to 1.5 million.
Finally, Bulgaria intends to exceed the objective of the Porto summit as regards the employment rate; the number of people at risk of poverty and social exclusion in the country should therefore decrease by nearly 800,000.
The members of the college expressed themselves on this subject:
Cohesion and Reforms Commissioner Elisa Ferreira said: The Partnership Agreement marks a milestone for Bulgaria. Financing from cohesion funds for the period 2021-2027 will be essential to reduce regional disparities in the country and promote growth convergence with the rest of the EU. We now look forward to the completion of the negotiations on the ten operational programs so that cohesion policy can launch, as soon as possible, investments in key areas such as a clean environment, improving education, support for businesses and transport infrastructure.”
Nicolas Schmit, Commissioner for Employment and Social Rights, said: "The objectives of the partnership agreement concluded with Bulgaria demonstrate a strong commitment to the achievement of Porto's social objectives in terms of employment, lifelong learning and poverty reduction. By investing its ESF+ funds in human capital, Bulgaria will improve social inclusion and access to the labor market, in particular for vulnerable or disadvantaged people.”
Background
The partnership agreement with Bulgaria covers ten national programmes.
Within the framework of the cohesion policy, and in cooperation with the Commission, each Member State draws up a partnership agreement, a strategic document for the programming of investments during the multiannual financial framework, deriving from the funds of the cohesion policy (Fonds Regional Development Fund, European Social Fund Plus, Cohesion Fund and Just Transition Fund) and the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund. Linked to EU priorities, it defines the strategy and investment priorities chosen by the Member State concerned and includes a list of national and regional programs to be implemented on the ground, together with an indicative annual financial allocation. for each program.
The partnership agreement with Bulgaria is the twelfth adopted for the 2021-2027 funding period, after those of Greece, Germany, Austria, Czechia, Lithuania, Finland, Denmark, France , Sweden, the Netherlands and Poland.
Under the Common Provisions Regulation for the period 2021-2027, Member States must fulfill horizontal and thematic enabling conditions when implementing Cohesion Policy programmes. One of the enabling conditions requires respect for the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union. When drawing up their programmes, Member States must assess whether the enabling conditions are met. If the Commission does not agree with this assessment, it cannot reimburse the expenditure relating to the parts of the program concerned until the conditions are met. Member States must ensure that these conditions continue to be respected throughout the programming period.
