The transition to low-carbon production should be gradual, taking into account technological opportunities and socio-economic implications. This was said by Deputy Minister of Economy and Industry Nikolay Pavlov during a forum ‘The Need for a National Plan for a Just Transition’. The organizers of the conference are the Independent Trade Unions in Bulgaria (CITUB) and the Friedrich Ebert Foundation Bulgaria. The aim of the event was to discuss the challenges facing our country related to the Green Deal, the discussion at European level on its revision, as well as the impact on the different sectors of our economy and end consumers.
During the forum, Deputy Minister Pavlov stressed that the Ministry of Economy and Industry and the Ministry of Finance have prepared a general socio-economic analysis of the effects of the implementation of the European Green Deal in Bulgaria, outlining the regions and economic activities and sectors that will be most affected by the upcoming changes. ‘The results of the analysis showed that different economic activities require different measures to make the ambitious green transition. Technological changes and innovative solutions require targeted investments, which should be implemented in phases, as their effect will become apparent after a certain period of time’, Deputy Minister Pavlov added.
Deputy Minister Pavlov added that setting new requirements sometimes creates uncertainty for businesses and raises concerns about unforeseen risks. ‘A predictable and stable regulatory environment is important for planning the future development of enterprises, and the goals of the green deal are also changing the horizon for planning and making investments’, he said.
The deputy economy minister stressed that the Green Deal will have an impact on energy-intensive industries, which have a significant share in the structure of the Bulgarian economy. These industries are an important part of the value chain with relevance to many other sectors. ‘In many of the regions where they are located, enterprises in energy-intensive industries are structurally decisive and have an essential importance for socio-economic development’, he stressed.
The forum was attended by the President of the CITUB Plamen Dimitrov, Vice President Ognyan Atanasov, the Chairman of BIA Dobri Mitev, the Director of Friedrich Ebert Bulgaria Jacques Paparo, the Deputy Minister of Energy Krasimir Nenov, the Deputy Minister of Transport Biser Minchev, the Deputy Minister of Agriculture Tanya Georgieva and others.