In brief
European Commissioner for Budget, Anti‑Fraud and Public Administration Piotr Serafin will visit Bulgaria on 29–30 October to present the next Multiannual Financial Framework, meet with government officials, municipal leaders and research centres. His itinerary includes a conference in Sofia and site visits to a STEM hub and a satellite manufacturer's lab, with aims to simplify EU funding processes.
In Sofia, Bulgaria, European Commissioner for Budget, Anti‑Fraud and Public Administration Piotr Serafin is set to arrive on Thursday and Friday to discuss the next Multiannual Financial Framework.
He will begin by meeting with Prime Minister Rumen Radev, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Galab Donev, and Deputy Prime Minister Atanas Pekanov, who is responsible for the management of EU funds.
On Thursday, he will open a conference titled "The Next Multiannual Financial Framework: Priorities and Principles" in Sofia, a joint event organised by the European Commission Representation in Bulgaria, the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Bulgaria and the Sofia office of the European Council on Foreign Relations.
On Friday he will meet with members of the National Association of the Municipalities, where they will exchange views on the regional aspect of the National and Regional Partnership plans within the next Multiannual Financial Framework.
The EU Commissioner will then visit the National STEM Centre in Sofia Tech Park, a central hub for science, technology, engineering and mathematics run by the Ministry of Education and Science and co‑funded by the Recovery and Resilience Plan.
Following that, Serafin will visit the laboratory and mission control room of EnduroSat, a satellite manufacturer and space‑service provider that benefits from EU funding through the European Innovation Council.
Throughout his tour, the Commissioner has already visited 22 EU countries, engaging with stakeholders across Member States to gather insights that shape the direction and priorities of the 2028–2034 Multiannual Financial Framework proposal.
A recurring theme in these discussions is the urgent need to simplify complex funding procedures, ease administrative burdens and improve transparency, with stakeholders highlighting the importance of reducing overlapping regulations and ensuring legal consistency to make EU funding easier to navigate.
The visit is part of Serafin’s ongoing tour of Europe, where he has been consulting Member States on the bloc’s next long‑term budget as part of his mandate to streamline public administration and anti‑fraud measures.
Officials say the meetings aim to clarify how Bulgaria can align its national spending with EU priorities, streamline the application process, and strengthen the relationship between regional governments and European funding bodies.
With the conference and site visits scheduled for just two days, consumers and local businesses in Sofia and across Bulgaria will anticipate that the Commissioner’s comments will influence the 2028–2034 funding cycle, potentially easing bureaucratic hurdles for future projects.
The National Association of the Municipalities emphasized that regional partnerships form a cornerstone of the next MFF, and they urged for tighter coordination between city budgets and EU allocations to foster local development projects.
The National STEM Centre, managed by the Ministry of Education and Science, serves as a key interface for researchers to access EU Recovery and Resilience Plan funds, while EnduroSat’s demonstration of satellite technology showcases how EU Innovation Council projects can translate into commercial and scientific breakthroughs.
Observers expect that clarified guidelines will reduce duplication of effort and speed up project approvals, benefiting scientists, SMEs and local infrastructure schemes in the coming years for Bulgaria and EU.
