The Bulgarian government is actively working on the National Recovery and Sustainability Plan, its second revision has been published and is under discussion with the European Commission. This is what the Chairperson of the Environment and Water Committee Ivelina Vassileva said during her participation in an interparliamentary conference, part of the European Parliamentary Week.

In her statement, during a discussion panel on the Recovery and Sustainability Mechanism and the European Green Deal, Vassileva emphasized that time is of key importance. She expressed hope that the evaluation process by the EC would be completed as soon as possible.

The Chairperson of the EWC said 47% of the measures in the National Plan are aimed at the green transition, while the “Green Bulgaria” pillar includes reforms in three key sectors – low carbon economy, biodiversity and sustainable agriculture. “In practice, however, the “green line” goes through all policies and areas of the socio-economic life that affect the Plan, measures and reforms are envisaged that directly contribute to the climate neutrality, the circular economy, improving the air quality and the water management,” Ivelina Vassileva said.

In her words, Europe's “green” transformation is an opportunity, but more clarity and focus is needed on the advantages and the challenges of each Member State's transition. The EWC Chairperson added that a country such as Bulgaria could face more difficulties, given the carbon intensive energy sector or the high percentage of protected areas in the NATURA 2000 ecological network.

As part of the conference, the EC Vice-President responsible for the European Green Deal, Frans Timmermans, said that each of the national plans contributes to the EU's green transformation and pointed out that some of the countries are already ready. He stressed the importance of the decisions and the investments that the countries make for the quality of the European recovery and for the future generations because “there is no vaccine for climate change and biodiversity loss”.