site.btaEBRD President Renaud-Basso to Visit Bulgaria on May 30

European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) President Odile Renaud-Basso, will visit Bulgaria on 30 May 2022, the EBRD said in a press release on Thursday.

This is Renaud-Basso's first visit to the country since becoming EBRD President in late 2020.

The EBRD President will meet Bulgarian Prime Minister Kiril Petkov, Deputy Prime Minister for EU Funds and Minister of Finance Assen Vassilev, and representatives of the business community and financial sector.

Renaud-Basso will sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Minister of Finance on EBRD project implementation support and the co-financing of projects funded with European Union (EU) funds, including under the country's Recovery and Resilience Plan, which amounts to EUR 6.3 billion of EU financial support for investments and reforms.

She will also visit Sofia Airport, one of the EBRD's key infrastructural investments in Bulgaria.

The President will engage with local civil society organizations in a virtual meeting on June 6.

"I am looking forward to my first visit to Bulgaria and to continuing our support for the country, particularly for its infrastructure, energy and small business sectors," President Renaud-Basso said ahead of the visit. "I am delighted that I will be able to sign an MoU with Minister Vassilev, which sets out the basis for our support for projects benefiting from EU funding. This visit will also allow me to discuss the impact of the war on Ukraine on the national and regional economy, as well as our support for countries affected by the war."

To date, the EBRD has committed more than EUR 4.3 billion to 277 projects in Bulgaria. In 2021, EBRD investment in the country exceeded EUR 245 million, the press release recalled.