Since Bulgaria joined the European Union in 2007, the country has received €16.3 billion in EU funds, according to an analysis by the Institute for Market Economics (IME).
The funds have been invested in major infrastructure projects across the country. Sofia received the largest share, €3.1 billion, primarily for metro expansion, while Plovdiv received €818 million, mostly for water and sewage improvements.
By the end of last year, every municipality had spent at least €255 per capita in EU funds, the analysis showed. Some municipalities received 10 times more funding relative to their population.