site.btaGovernment Moves for Parliamentary Ratification Loan Agreement under EU's SURE Instrument

December 15 (BTA) - At an extraordinary meeting on
Tuesday the Council of Ministers passed a decision moving to
Parliament for ratification a loan agreement between the EU as
lender and Bulgaria as borrower under the EU's SURE instrument,
the government's information service said.

SURE is a European instrument for temporary support to mitigate
unemployment risks in an emergency following the Covid-19
outbreak.

The maximum amount of funds Bulgaria can get under SURE is 511
million euros, with a maximum maturity term of 15 years. The
term for utilizing the funds is 18 months, starting as of
September 30, 2020.

Between 4,500 and 5,000 employers on average per month are
expected to be supported with the money from SURE, to keep
140,000 jobs, said Finance Minister Kiril Ananiev.

Prime Minister Boyko Borissov is quoted as saying that the
motion to ratify the loan agreement was made in a speedy manner
so that Bulgaria can start using the money quickly. The SURE
funding will complement the national efforts in the pandemic and
 its social and economic impacts for workers and self-employed
people, he added.

The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC), however, said on
December 14 that Bulgaria, as well as Croatia and Cyprus, did
not include support for self-employed in the application for
SURE funds. Almost a quarter of member states provided little or
 no income support for self-employed or precarious workers
during the Covid crisis Ц despite the EU making funds available
for such support, said ETUC.

Bulgaria sent the official application to the European
Commission for financial assistance under SURE on August 7. The
loan agreement was signed by Bulgaria on November 26, and by the
 EC on December 11.  ZH/NV/LN/
/МЙ/