Bulgaria

The analysis regarding the Bulgarian National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP) and its energy and climate related reforms and investments was executed for the period October 2023 – October 2024, by the energy expert Petko Kovachev. The aim was to explore the role of the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) - a particularly important decarbonisation fund, part of the EU Budget, and to see how its allocation contributed to financing the transition and the FitFor55 implementation at national level.

Bulgarian version of the latest assessment on the draft NECP from the Mind the NECP Gap report: "Внимание: несъответствие в амбициите при ИНПЕК - Брифинг с основни изводи от последнатa налична версия на ИНПЕК (на базата на актуализацията на NECP Tracker от октомври 2024 г. - инструмент за проследяване изпълнението на ИНПЕК/NECP)"

European Sustainable Energy Seminar took place in Talsi, Latvia, between 25-27 September 2024, organised by the network INFORSE-Europe. Za Zemiata, as the Bulgarian member, joined the meeting through the national TogetherFor1.5 Coordinator - Radostina Slavkova.

On March 29, during the hybrid discussion organized by "Za Zemiata" at the House of Europe, Sofia, on the topic: “The green transition in Bulgaria - opportunities, benefits and false solutions. Does Bulgaria need new nuclear power facilities?” came to the conclusion that the price of climate inaction for Bulgaria is higher in comparison with choosing the 1.5 C compatible energy transition pathway.

On April the 25th (2024)a stakeholders’ meeting was held at the Balkan Hotel in Sofia on the progress of the Integrated National Energy and Climate Plan (NECP) - right before its finalization by June 30th. The meeting was jointly organized by Za Zemiata, the Center for the Study of Democracy (CSD) and the Center for Energy Efficiency "EnEfect"...

Position on the second draft updated NECP dated February 21, 2023, of the Environmental Association "Za Zemiata" and "Greenpeace" - Bulgaria. [...] The second draft continues to lack key data for the public and expert discussion from the modeling of additional measures to achieve the targets (WAM), as well as the assumptions and analytical basis behind the current modeling.

The first NECP draft is a timid and partial plan to meet climate goals by 2030...

Za Zemiata Friends of the Earth Bulgaria has taken the initiative to send a letter to the Minister for Energy and Minister of Environment and Waters about the need to increase the national contribution to the 2030 EU-wide energy efficiency target before 1 February under the EED...

Bulgaria has not yet submitted its draft National Energy and Climate Plan (NECP) update, nor started any form of public consultation, as of 30 September 2023. It is not clear what the progress on the update is, as no draft or relevant related studies have been released so far. With the new government, a first draft might be expected in late Autumn. Based on previous experiences and available information, civil society organisations have developed a set of recommendations...

Za Zemiata and 8 more Bulgarian NGOs signed the international open letter calling for timely public participation in the NECP revision process.The letter was supported by Members of the Climate Coalition of Bulgaria, the Coalition for Green Restart, by the Municipal Energy Efficiency Network EcoEnergy and other. The organizations reached out to the newly elected regular ministers of Environment and Energy, demanding immediately all draft version of the NECP, models and analyses done so far to be made public and a consultation process to finally start...

The public launch of the Together For 1.5 Project in Bulgaria happened on 30th March 2023, as part of the monthly thematical in-person meetings with volunteers and supporters of Za Zemiata, called "Code: GREEN". The event coincided with the last day of the election campaign for the 6th-in-a-row Parliamentary elections. There are many hopes of forming a regular government that can pursue ambitious climate actions as one of its priorities..