MPs approved changes to two agreements between Bulgaria and the European Investment Fund under the JEREMIE initiative, passing them on two readings at a single sitting. The changes are the fifth amendments to the fund's Framework and Financial Agreements, and were put forward by the Council of Ministers.

Innovation and digital transformation minister Ivan Vasilev told MPs why the changes are needed. A Council of Ministers decree from 2026 sets out what happens to money paid back under the financial scheme of the "Initiative for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises" operational programme for 2014-2020, once the deadline for claiming costs under it has passed.

Once ratified, the European Investment Fund will manage this money. The amount is 48,353,532 euros.

This money will be added to the recycled funds already built up through JEREMIE's financial instruments and will go back into business again, reaching small and medium-sized firms under an investment strategy. Minister Vasilev said the total budget under this strategy comes to 180 million euros.

The money will go in four directions: business growth funds, technology-transfer and deep-tech funds, the infrastructure fund of the Three Seas Initiative, and defence funds.

The Council of Ministers put the changes before parliament. Once ratified, the two agreements become legally binding and take effect. That will set in motion the updated investment strategy and the handling of the returned money to back small and medium-sized businesses.

Minister Vasilev also made one thing clear for the treasury: ratifying the agreements will not cost the state budget any extra money.