Supporting the implementation of Bulgaria's Recovery and Resilience Plan

The Commission strengthened the institutional capacity of the Bulgarian authorities to implement, monitor and report on their national recovery and resilience plan (RRP).

Context

Following the unprecedented crisis caused by the pandemic, Bulgaria's RRP responds to the urgent need to promote a stable recovery and prepare for Bulgaria's greener and sustainable future. The reforms and investments in the plan will help Bulgaria become more resilient and better prepared for the challenges and opportunities of the ecological and digital transitions.

Support delivered

The project supported national authorities in improving their capacity to implement the RRP measures, monitor and report on achievements. The following measures were delivered:

• Preparation of unified grant scheme application documents;
• Support for the establishment and implementation of sound management and monitoring system to track progress towards the implementation of common indicators, milestones and targets in the RRP;
• Capacity-building workshops and trainings on project management cycle in the context of RRP implementation, monitoring and reporting, application of the “DNSH” principle, best practices for prevention and detection of fraud, and corruption and conflict of interest;
• Training course on audit and control for experts of the National Fund Directorate;
• Knowledge sharing and networking among stakeholders.

Results achieved

Despite the challenging situation, involving an evolving RRP implementation mechanism, via close collaboration and flexible approach, the project team was able to achieve tangible results.  

The technical support elaborated a number of documents, which will help the implementation of Bulgaria’s RRP. This included: 

• Application documents for grant schemes for the RRF investments;
• Guidance and training materials;
• Analytical report and training materials on RRP project management cycle and coordination mechanisms for each participating ministry;
• Technical report with handbook, guidance and training material on monitoring and reporting of milestones and targets;
• Training material and training sessions on RRF audits and controls and the application of the DNSH (Do No Significant Harm) principle.