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Rosen Plevneliev: Energy efficiency is a step toward energy independence

The citizens’ protests in Bulgaria should remind politicians about the promises they have made but failed to keep. During the past winter the citizens protested not only against the soaring electricity bills, but also against the monopolies, the lack of justice and economic prospects. This is what President Rosen Plevneliev said in a lecture he delivered titled “Sustainability of the policy and policies of Southeastern Europe.” In his statement the head of state said that the stable development of our country and the region required diversification of the energy sources and investments in energy efficiency.

In carrying out the reforms in the energy sector, Bulgaria will rely on the successful examples in Europe, one of which is Denmark. He recalled that in four decades, the country has managed to overcome its dependence on oil supplies from abroad and today 30 percent of the production of electricity is from renewable energy sources. Within this period Denmark’s GDP has increased, while the total energy consumption has preserved its levels, the head of state said, pointing out that Denmark’s attempts to achieve energy efficiency has made it an energy-independent country, enjoying a high level of economic and social stability.

Rosen Plevneliev said that so far in Bulgaria the share of renewable sources in electricity production has reached 16 percent and by 2020 the set goal of 20 percent will be reached. Measures have been taken not only with respect to the companies with high energy consumption, but also with respect to boosting the energy efficiency of buildings. “The new program for improving the urban conditions of life has been supported by one billion euros worth of EU funding and we have the ambition to double this amount in the next program period,” Rosen Plevneliev recalled.  In his opinion, if this program succeeds, Bulgaria can become leader in implementing new policies in the energy sector in Southeastern Europe.

Bulgaria has a good basis for a successful implementation of policies for sustainable development, Rosen Plevneliev added. This basis encompasses the stable banking system, the high credit rating, the low level of public debt and the reasonable fiscal policy. “However, no matter how important these indicators of stability are, they are not enough to improve the standard of living in our country and the region. A policy aimed at investments in job opening, in human resources and the implementation of innovations is necessary to this effect,” the President said. The head of state also pointed out that a necessary condition for building up the trust in the Bulgarian economy and attracting more investments is the improvement of the business environment and the national infrastructure.

What lies at the heart of any strategy for sustainable development is the human factor, which improves the quality of and access to education and establishes real links between the educational institutions and the small and medium-sized enterprises designing innovations, the President further emphasized. Therefore encouraging innovative productions is part of the policies for sustainable development which Bulgaria will pursue. Rosen Plevneliev added that our country has to put effort into restoring the potential of agriculture and the production of high-quality foods.

The President defined as a challenge the overcoming of the misbalances in the development of the separate regions in the European Union. To achieve long-lasting and stable results in the integration and cooperation between the EU member states, the countries from the Western Balkans should also join united Europe, the President further stated in his lecture.