Skip to main content
Policy brief

Investment Screening in Bulgaria

Policy Brief No.123

While sanctions alone cannot stop Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine, they play an important role in deterring the regime in the Kremlin from further aggression and denying it the needed resources to continue threatening Europe. However, upholding the sanctions requires a coherent and well-functioning framework for sanctions enforcement across the EU. Enforcement capacity and quality are not the same across the bloc with notable weak-link countries such as Bulgaria - which still lacks practice and an effective investment screening mechanism framework implemented in its national legislation. The need for a secure and well-coordinated framework for screening foreign investment has already been gaining momentum across the world. Prior to the war in Ukraine and, together with other economic security instruments such as state aid, illicit financial flow monitoring, and anti-money laundering, foreign investment screening has been making its way to EUlevel policymaking. Bulgaria needs to build upon and upgrade the EU’s policy and legislative initiatives to ensure its economy does not become an enabler for sanctions evasion, or a magnet for corrosive capital, which would undermine the country’s investment standing and growth prospects among its Euro-Atlantic partners. At the same time implementing such a regime, while urgent, needs to take into account the legitimate grievances and points of view of the private sector investors, so as not to become another tool of repression in Bulgaria’s immature democratic governance environment.

This website uses cookies for functional and analytical purposes. By continuing to browse it, you consent to our use of cookies and the CSD Privacy Policy. To learn more about cookies, incl. how to disable them. View our Cookie Policy.