In G4Media.ro, Petar Ganev from the Institute for Market Economics (IME), as part of the Epicenter network, argued that the debate on competitiveness extends far beyond the size of the EU budget. Speaking at the Green Transition Forum 2026 on the Multiannual Financial Framework 2028–2034, Ganev noted that while Bulgaria supports stronger cohesion funding as a net beneficiary, a larger EU budget risks new own resources that could harm national competitiveness. He stressed that Europe’s competitiveness depends primarily on the effective functioning of the Single Market, reducing bureaucracy and excessive regulation, and facilitating the fundamental freedoms of the internal market, rather than simply increasing the overall budget.