Once the Council approves this proposal, the financial support will be provided in the form of loans granted on favourable terms. These loans will help Bulgaria cover the costs related to the continuation of a wage subsidy scheme, introduced in response to the coronavirus pandemic, and thereby tackle the continued severe socio-economic impact of the COVID-19 crisis. Bulgaria is the 8th Member State, together with Belgium, Cyprus, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, and Hungary, to ask for additional support on top of the support that the Council had already approved in 2020. SURE is a crucial element of the EU’s comprehensive strategy to protect jobs and workers in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Today’s proposal, if adopted, would bring the overall financial support granted under SURE to a total of €93.8 billion. The Commission has already disbursed €91.8 billion to 19 Member States under SURE, and it expects to undertake the remaining borrowing operations in the coming months. €6.2 billion are still available under SURE for possible future requests. (For more information: Daniel Ferrie – Tel.: +32 229 86500; Andrea Masini – Tel.: +32 229 91519)
