The Minister of Economy Teodor Sedlarski opened today the Ninth International Conference Bulaqua 2017 on the subject-matter “Blue Circular Economy”. The Vice Premier Malina Krumova and the Minister of Environment and Water – Irina Kostova also attended the opening. The objective of the conference was to present the priorities, the perspectives and the requirements before branch Water Supply and Sewerage for more efficient work, and the subject-matter “Blue Circular Economy: was the main focus of the edition this year.
“In the circular economy the products and the materials have a longer life cycle and generate bigger value, the wastes are reduced, the use of resources is optimized through models for recycling” – Minister Sedlarski declared this in his speech at the opening of the Conference.
According to his words this approach functions not solely for the preservation of the environment and the provision of sustainable workplaces, but also for the encouragement of the innovations in the enterprises and the attainment of financial economies and competitive advantages.
The Minister of Economy paid attention to the impact the circular economy exerts over the entire economy for the enhancement of the efficiency at the use of primary raw materials, through the return of the wastes to the economy as scrap of high quality. Minister Sedlarski pointed out that the development of the circular economy will also contribute to the attainment of low carbon economy. “There is great potential to reduce the use of energy and materials in the production and the subsequent use of the products. The transformation of the wastes into a resource is a key moment for the increase of the resource efficiency and for passing to more efficient economy”, the Minister added and indicated that a great part of the natural resources are not unlimited and we must find a sustainable from an ecological and economic points of view manner, which they should be used in.
Minister Sedlarski emphasized that the Ministry of Economy supports through Operational Programme Innovations and Competitiveness measures for the encouragement of the circular economy. “One of the procedures is for support of pilot and demonstration initiatives for efficient use of the resources, in the sphere of the wastes, the waters and the recycling of materials and will provide small and medium enterprises with measures for efficient use of their resources. The budget of the procedure is 71 million BGN”, the Minister declared. He also indicated the procedure for support for introduction of innovations in the enterprises, which includes possibilities for support of eco-innovations. Minister Sedlarski also noted down that under a procedure for improvement of the production capacity of small and medium enterprises there are possibilities for introduction of new technologies and improvement of the resource effectiveness and efficiency of the production processes.
Vice Premier Malina Krumova on her part said that everything possible should be done that the natural and in particular the water resources should be preserved. “The circular economy is needed for sustainable growth and it is not by chance that the European Commission /EC/ places it as one of the significant topics, which the European sustainable growth is based on. The European Commission has accepted an ambitious package of measures for transition to blue circular economy, which is supported by a strong resource”- she added.
The Minister of Environment and Water, Ms. Irina Kostova, noted down that the implementation of the big investment projects in the water supply and sewerage sector requires the mobilization of a national managerial, expert and executive resource to cover the requirements of the legislation of the EU in the sphere of the environment. “In this connection the circular economy offers optimal solutions for the reasonable use of the resources” – she also said.