The European Commission unfreezes the frozen money under the Recovery and Resilience Plan. This was announced by the President of the Commission Ursula von der Leyen after her first meeting with Prime Minister Rumen Radev in Brussels, BNT reports. Almost 370 million euros will be received by our country after progress in the legislation on the anti-corruption body and the functions of the Prosecutor General.
Ursula von der Leyen, President of the EC: "I want to emphasize the good progress that Bulgaria has made in the fight against corruption. The creation of an anti-corruption body is key to effectively eradicating corruption at all levels. What is of the utmost importance is that this body can operate independently. In this context, I very much welcome that the legislative procedures are now underway. Your government is on track to achieve this significant goal. Another important step in the fight against corruption is the reorganization of the Prosecutor General's Office. The aim is to strengthen its anti-corruption investigative functions. These two pillars will allow almost 370 million euros of frozen funds to be unlocked for Bulgaria."
Rumen Radev, Prime Minister of Bulgaria: "For us, the Recovery and Resilience Plan is not just a source of revenue, we see it as a strong and rapid tool for substantial reforms. We have been lagging behind for the last three years, but we have the ambition to catch up and meet all deadlines by the end of August this year. Thank you for your sober assessment of the success we have achieved in the last two weeks in presenting the two most important acts for the anti-corruption body and the Prosecutor General, they have already been adopted by our parliament in first reading. And the money you announced has already been unfrozen. This is a great contribution to the budget of Bulgaria and to the Bulgarian people."
Earlier in the day, Rumen Radev also met with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte for the first time.