The European Commission’s budget chief, Piotr Serafin, will arrive in Sofia on Thursday, 29 October, to engage with Bulgarian authorities and stakeholders as part of his broader European tour to shape the bloc’s upcoming multi‑annual financial plan. The press release from the European Commission Representation in Bulgaria announced that the trip will focus on the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) for 2028‑2034, with the Commissioner set to open a conference entitled "The Next Multiannual Financial Framework: Priorities and Principles" in the capital.
Serafin will confer with Prime Minister Rumen Radev, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Galab Donev, and Deputy Prime Minister Atanas Pekanov, who oversees EU fund management in the country. In a statement, the Commissioner said the talks will examine how Bulgaria’s national and regional priorities can be aligned with the forthcoming MFF. He will also meet representatives from the National Association of the Municipalities on Friday, 30 October, to discuss the interplay of EU funding with municipal development initiatives and regional partnership plans.
Conference and Institutional Visits
The conference, co‑organised by the European Commission Representation, the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Bulgaria, and the Sofia office of the European Council on Foreign Relations, will bring together scholars, policymakers and civil‑society actors. While the agenda outlines a discussion of priorities and principles, the specifics of proposals remain to be developed during the dialogues. In line with his mandate, Serafin has highlighted the need to simplify funding procedures, reduce administrative burdens and enhance transparency across EU programmes.
Following his meetings with government officials, the Commissioner, accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister Pekanov, will visit the National STEM Centre in the Sofia Tech Park. The centre, managed by the Ministry of Education and Science and co‑funded by the Recovery and Resilience Plan, serves as a hub for science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The visit is intended to review current EU funding processes and to identify ways to streamline support for research and innovation. The Commissioner will also tour the laboratory and mission‑control room of EnduroSat, a satellite manufacturer and space‑service provider that has benefited from European Innovation Council funding. Both visits underline an emphasis on space‑tech and research as part of Bulgaria’s broader innovation strategy.
Throughout his tenure, Serafin has travelled to 22 EU member states, engaging with a broad spectrum of stakeholders. The European Commission claims that these dialogues have been instrumental in shaping the direction and priorities of the 2028‑2034 MFF proposal, with a particular focus on linking policy with measurable outcomes and reducing overlapping regulations. Delegates have stressed the importance of legal consistency and administrative simplification to make EU funding more accessible. The Commissioner’s upcoming Bulgarian visit is one part of that wider effort to align national strategies with EU priorities and to encourage transparent, efficient use of resources.
Although the press release details the programme and the participants, it leaves many questions unanswered. The concrete outcomes of the conference, the specific policy recommendations that will be adopted, and how Bulgarian priorities will be incorporated into the next MFF remain unresolved. Likewise, the precise nature of the dialogue with municipalities and the prospective impact on regional partnership plans have not yet been clarified. These uncertainties, acknowledged by the sources, persist as the meetings continue and more detailed proposals are expected to emerge only after the visit concludes.
