In a Facebook post on Sunday, Deputy Prime Minister for EU Funds Management Atanas Pekanov commented on the Irish EU Council Presidency’s proposal for the 2028-2034 EU budget plan. “In Ireland’s new proposal, funding for cohesion and agricultural policy is not being reduced (except in one small sub-fund). This proves that when we are proactive and have a solid group of countries that share Bulgaria’s views, the right decisions are made in the EU,” the post reads.
“The long-awaited proposal is a step in the right direction and will help us find the much-needed solution and consensus at the European level for the EU’s next Multiannual Financial Framework,” Pekanov comments.
“There are 17 countries in the Friends of Cohesion group, and we insist that the traditional role of cohesion policy – which funds infrastructure, health, and education projects, as well as environmental initiatives and small and medium-sized enterprises – not be further reduced. In recent weeks, I have held discussions with representatives of countries in this group in various forums and settings,” Pekanov writes, adding that Bulgaria will continue to be actively represented within the group.
The Deputy Prime Minister notes that the Irish proposal reduces the total budget for the next seven years by another EUR 100 billion to EUR 1.6 trillion. “That may sound like a lot of money, but in reality it amounts to about EUR 230 billion per year for the entire EU – the EU’s annual budget in this case would be slightly larger than that of Denmark. To put this into perspective, that is just over 1% of the Union’s GDP. Obviously, if we keep assigning the EU more and more new tasks, it will be difficult for it to handle them all with such a small budget. In this sense, calls to reduce this already small amount do not help the EU to be a global player, to simultaneously support less developed regions and its agricultural production, and to invest in competitiveness, technology, science, and defence,” Pekanov comments. However, there is still no agreement among Member States on how to finance these higher ambitions and needs, which is why the European Commission’s initial budget proposal from last year – amounting to nearly EUR 2 trillion – is being cut for the second time, he notes.
“The current proposal also has weaknesses that we will continue to criticize,” Pekanov’s post reads. He notes the reduction in the timeframe for using the funds – until now, the regulation allowed three years following the established procedure for the final use of the funds. In his words, this flexibility is important for infrastructure and other large-scale projects that often face delays due to environmental assessments and court appeals. The current proposal is to shorten this period to one year.
It is also proposed that a significant percentage of the funds allocated to Member States (25%) be set aside for crisis situations and thus not be available for use at the start of the next programming period, writes Pekanov. He describes the ongoing erosion of the otherwise increased funding for science under the Erasmus and Horizon Europe programmes as a major mistake, as these programmes are among the most well-known and popular among EU citizens.
In Pekanov’s words, discussions on how to finance this future budget will continue in the coming weeks – and most likely months. “They will not be easy, but they must continue until we find a workable consensus that ensures sufficient funding for all regions, as well as for strengthening Europe’s competitiveness and readiness to stand on its own in the 21st century,” the Deputy Prime Minister adds.
Deputy PM Pekanov: Irish EU Budget Proposal Does not Reduce Money for Cohesion, Agricultural Policy 2026 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-10-11 19:38:44
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