site.btaTransport Minister Says Cabinet "Takes Desperate Steps" to Make Up for Wasted Time for Recovery and Resilience Plan

The Cabinet is making "desperate steps" to make up for the time that has been wasted for the Recovery and resilience Plan, "because EU funding are crucial for this country", Deputy Prime Minister and Transport and Communications Minister Grozdan Karadjov said here Wednesday. He was among the speakers at the Sofia forum titled "Bulgaria Business Summit 2025: The Challenges Facing Bulgaria", which is part of the Economist Impact series of events held by The Economist.

According to Karadjov, European funds are very important, especially for specific projects. He mentioned as an example a program set to expire in September next year, which aims to cover 400 km of the country's territory with optical cables for high-speed internet, particularly in hard-to-reach settlements. "This infrastructure needs to be developed, and these funds are crucial," Karadjov said in response to a question from the panel moderator about the importance of European funding for the country, given the delays in payments under the Recovery and Resilience Plan.

"Unfortunately, we are critically behind schedule with this plan. Right now, we are making desperate efforts to catch up, but we have lost a lot of time," Karadjov stated.

At the beginning of his speech, he emphasized that the government has the political will to prepare the budget and to move toward eurozone membership.