Brussels, 25 July 2024
The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, an amendment to Bulgaria’s map for granting regional aid from 1 January 2022 to 31 December 2027, within the framework of the Regional aid Guidelines.
On 15 December 2021, the Commission approved the 2022-2027 regional aid map for Bulgaria, and its amendment on 29 September 2023 in the context of the mid-term review. On 21 December 2023, the Commission approved Bulgaria’s Territorial Just Transition Plans that identify the territories eligible for support from the Just Transition Fund. The territories are located in regions eligible for aid underArticle 107(3)(a) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU (so-called ‘a’ areas), which allows aid to support the most disadvantaged regions.
In order to further address regional disparities, the amendment to Bulgaria’s regional aid map approved today enables higher maximum amounts of aid to investments in those territories. The maximum amounts of aid will increase from 50% to 60% of the eligible investment costs in Stara Zagora and in parts of the regions of Sliven and Haskovo and from 60% to 70% in parts of the region of Yambol.
The decision adopted today also approves the increased maximum amounts of aid for investment projects covered by the Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform, which Bulgaria introduced following the amendment of May 2024 to the Regional aid Guidelines.
The non-confidential version of the decision will be made available under the case number SA.114536 in the State Aid Register on the Commission’s competition website, once any confidentiality issues have been resolved.