site.btaBulgaria Gets EUR 460 Mln under EU Programme for Job Protection from COVID-19

The European Commission (EC) disbursed over EUR 6.5 billion to nine Member States in the final transaction under SURE - the instrument designed to protect jobs and incomes affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. With today's ninth and final payment, SURE has provided a total of EUR 98.4 billion, out of which EUR 460 million went to Bulgaria, the EC reported on Wednesday.

As part of the same operations, Cyprus received EUR 29 million, Czechia EUR 2.5 billion, Greece EUR 900 million, Croatia EUR 550 million, Lithuania EUR 142 million, Latvia EUR 167 million, Poland EUR 1.5 billion, and Portugal EUR 300 million. All nine Member States had already received financial support under SURE.

The disbursed loans will fund past expenditure on measures introduced to tackle the severe socio-economic impact of the COVID-19 crisis. They will help Member States cover the costs related to the financing of national short-time work schemes and other similar measures, including for the self-employed, as well as some health-related measures. These measures helped protect employment and support income during the pandemic, said the EC.