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National Development Programme BULGARIA 2030

  • Published on January 14, 2022

The National Development Programme BULGARIA 2030 is a strategic framework document of the highest order in the hierarchy of national programming documents, determining the vision and general goals of the development policies in all sectors of general government, including their territorial dimensions. The document sets out three strategic goals for the implementation of which it groups the government intentions into five areas (axes) of development and sets 13 national priorities, some of which support the shift to Sustainable Consumption and Production.  This detailed version of the National Development Programme BULGARIA 2030 builds on the vision, goals and priorities for the socio-economic development of Bulgaria in the period 2021- 2030, approved by Decision of the Council of Ministers No. 33 of 20.01.2020. The document describes in detail the areas of impact that will be subject to targeted interventions by 2030, ranked by priorities and sub-priorities and accompanied by result indicators, indicative financial resources, sources of funding and relevant UN Development Goals. In addition, an ex-ante impact assessment on key macroeconomic indicators of the implementation of the planned interventions is presented, as well as a mechanism for monitoring and control of the implementation of the strategic document. The first three-year Action Plan is under preparation. 

Priority 4 Circular and low-carbon economy of the National Development Programme BULGARIA 2030 plays crucial role for the shift to SCP.

One of the areas of impact within Priority 4 is Material efficiency. The measures will aim at sustainable use of raw materials and supplies, reducing the amount of raw materials and supplies used in production, stimulating the use of alternative raw materials and increasing the use of recyclable materials. A particular focus of the interventions will be to improve the knowledge base on the circular economy, the monitoring of waste and material flows, as well as the introduction of new forms of interaction between producers and consumers to support the circular economy. The measures will aim at supporting resource-efficient businesses and overcoming their difficulties in implementing the requirements related to staff classification, waste collection and treatment. Digital technologies will be used to track, control, analyse and optimise supply, production and data collection on the use of the product. A particular focus will be on R&D and innovation related to the circular economy, with interventions that will be oriented towards supporting companies in introducing lowcarbon and non-waste technologies, reducing production waste and developing industrial symbiosis. Action will be taken to increase the circular (secondary) use of materials in the economy, as well as to promote resource efficiency throughout their life cycle. The efforts of the state will be directed towards assisting enterprises in carrying out waste flow analysis and reviewing production activities to implement industrial symbiosis, introducing environmental standards, implementing eco-innovations to reduce environmental pollution and use resources more efficiently, developing clean technology demonstration projects and providing start-up capital to encourage the development of new businesses, including building new capacities in the field of circular economy.

Other important area of impact within Priority 4 is Eco-innovations. The measures aim to promote the deployment of eco-innovation in enterprises, increasing efficiency at all stages of production and creating competitive advantages, protecting the environment and optimising resource consumption. Businesses will be supported in developing both new and improved solutions to reduce the negative environmental effects and make more responsible and economical use of resources. Innovative changes to processes and products to comply with the growing environmental and social standards and regulatory requirements will be supported. The general goal is to stimulate patterns of more sustainable production and consumption. A special focus of the interventions will be the development of products and services that facilitate the transition to a low-carbon, resource-efficient and circular economy.

Energy efficiency is other are of impact within Priority 4. The measures will aim to improve the energy efficiency in enterprises and households, as well as to promote the use of electricity, heat and cooling produced from renewable sources. Support will be provided for an integrated approach to implementing energy efficiency measures across all economic sectors. Sustainable use of raw materials and supplies, reduction of the amount of raw materials and supplies used in production, use of alternative raw materials, deployment of innovative production materials and increased use of recyclable materials will be promoted. Support will be provided for measures to make efficient use of energy sources in enterprises in all economic sectors. Innovative technologies will be promoted, combining energy efficiency measures with the use of renewable energy for own consumption. 

The area of impact Low-carbon technologies in Priority 4 envisages measures which will aim to increase the share of energy from renewable sources in the gross final consumption, which will be achieved by promoting the use of renewable energy in the electricity, heat and cooling and transport sectors. Green hydrogen production is an opportunity to stimulate innovative technologies and the gradual uptake of hydrogen as an energy carrier. To stimulate the decentralised renewable energy production, the end-users, in particular households, will be given the opportunity to participate in “renewable energy communities” that can produce, consume, accumulate or sell renewable energy. An important element in this process will be the implementation of the micronetworks model in the grid architecture. In the heating and cooling sector, priority will be given to the use of high-efficiency heating and cooling systems, innovative technologies using geothermal, hydrothermal and solar energy and the recovery of waste heat and cold. The introduction of a new generation biofuels and renewable electricity supplied to road and rail transport will be promoted in the transport sector. The consumption of these fuels and energy should contribute to the goals of diversification and decarbonisation. Efforts will focus on developing the electrical mobility, developing and stimulating the use of public electric transport, as well as accelerating the deployment of modern technologies in the railway sector.

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