Bulgaria’s Readiness for the CRMA: A State Administration Perspective on Institutional, Technological and Socio-Economic Factors

The paper analyses the structural determinants shaping Bulgaria’s readiness to participate in European strategic value chains for critical raw materials under the Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA). The paper argues that the absence of Bulgarian projects in the first strategic selection under the CRMA (March 2025) does not stem from isolated sectoral weaknesses, but from a mutually reinforcing configuration of technological path dependence, institutional fragmentation and limited social legitimacy. Based on three in-depth interviews with senior representatives of the public administration, the analysis reconstructs the administrative perceptions of the technological capabilities, regulatory effectiveness and socio-economic constraints relevant to the CRMA implementation. The findings indicate a technologically mature but highly specialised production base; lack of up-to-date geological information; low regulatory speed; insufficient renewal of human capital; and fragile public support for new extraction initiatives outside the traditional mining regions. The contribution of the study is twofold. First, it conceptualises the administrative perceptions as an undervalued analytical source for assessing the national readiness under the CRMA. Second, it integrates the empirical findings into a multi-layered theoretical framework linking technological paradigms, sectoral innovation systems and institutional coordination. The conclusions highlight the need for coordinated policies in the geological information systems, administrative coordination and the development of technological and organisational capabilities in order to expand Bulgaria’s strategic space for participation in the CRMA.