“The targets set in Europe for the green transition should not be at the expense of business. We need to maintain and build on the competitiveness of Bulgarian business”. This was said by the Minister of Economy and Industry Bogdan Bogdanov during a round table “European regulations for zero emissions. Turning Bulgaria’s challenges into a successful development path”. The event is organized by the Bulgarian Association of Metallurgical Industry (BAMI) and the Bulgarian MEP Radan Kanev (EPP/DB). It was also attended by the Minister of Environment and Water Yulian Popov, experts and representatives of the business and academic community.
“The importance of the green transition is clearly understood by all of us,” Minister Bogdanov said. He stressed that Bulgarian industry should be supported in this process by setting very clear parameters and by setting realistic targets for their smooth implementation at local level.
“These ambitions should be in line with the real opportunities of our country,” Bogdanov added. The Minister of Economy recalled that the European goals set did not foresee the situation we are currently in the recovery from the COVID pandemic, the long-term lockdown, the problems with logistics worldwide, the war in Ukraine. “There are many stakeholders in this transition, so it cannot happen suddenly,” Bogdanov stressed.
The Minister pointed out that the green transition also creates a number of opportunities. Bogdanov recalled the European Commission’s March plan to ease the administrative burden of certain procedures aimed at decarbonisation technologies. It provides for faster approval processes for such investment projects and more extensive possibilities for state aid. The Minister of Economy announced that changes are being prepared to speed up the implementation of strategic projects aimed at decarbonisation technologies, with their approval happening within a month instead of the current half a year.
Bogdanov specified that in this way the business will be able to access financial resources from the state for the implementation of their projects, as well as to be approved for state aid from Europe. The Minister was adamant that this will facilitate and encourage future investment intentions towards our country, as well as contribute to the modernization of production.
Bogdan Bogdanov pointed out that this year Bulgaria was included in the European Battery Alliance. He said this was important because it was a way to take advantage of the investment opportunities for this type of technology.
“Business needs to be active and we will focus on creating a solid foundation that it can build on,” Minister Bogdanov stressed.