EU Recovery plan second tranche in doubt
Deputy Prime Minister Tomislav Donchev expects Bulgaria to receive "zero" funding under the second tranche of the Recovery and Resilience Plan. He says this is because the required reforms that the EC requested have been only partially implemented.
He specified that the European Commission's response to Sofia's request for the second tranche, submitted at the end of 2023, is expected within days. Donchev added that the parliament and the government will have six months to assess which of the reforms in the plan are feasible for Bulgaria to receive part of the money under the second tranche.
The Deputy Prime Minister also criticized the choice to implement the most complex reforms at the beginning of the plan's implementation, which has incurred criticism from the EC. Bulgaria has so far received 1.36 billion euros under the plan.
BSP proposes ceiling on price increases for basic foods
BSP has proposed a bill to introduce a ceiling on price increases for basic foods. The leader of "Stand Up, Bulgaria" Maya Manolova, who announced her candidacy for ombudsman on Wednesday, explained that it concerns 70 products from the small consumer basket, adding that the list should be determined by the Council of Ministers.
The measure would apply to retail outlets that realize an annual turnover of more than 10 million levs. Sanctions amounting to 3% of the annual turnover are also envisaged.
The initiative was announced a day after President Rumen Radev insisted that the state control prices. Meanwhile, there have been calls for a united nationwide boycott of all supermarket chains on the 13th of February.
New factory worth 40m levs to be built by Healthy Bars
Sofia-based protein bar producer Healthy Bars is building a new factory for protein bars worth 40 million levs. The company develops and produces protein bars with various additives for more than 70 large business partners - retail chains and sports brands under a private label.
The money will go towards the construction of a new production base for protein bars and a new assembly line. The factory itself will occupy 15,000 square meters, located on its own 23,000 square meters plot in the capital's Vrabnitsa district. Currently, Healthy Bars produces in a base in the Iliyantsi industrial zone with two assembly lines and about 110 employees.
EU Recovery plan second tranche in doubt
Deputy Prime Minister Tomislav Donchev expects Bulgaria to receive "zero" funding under the second tranche of the Recovery and Resilience Plan. He says this is because the required reforms that the EC requested have been only partially implemented.
