The main objective of the project was to promote a change in existing paradigms of thinking and behavior of political parties and their representatives in Parliament who were responsible for providing strategic direction through the formulation of policies and legislation on climate change and energy efficiency that comply with fundamental principles of environmental protection. The project was developed based on an analysis of the activities of state institutions and ministries dealing with the problems of energy efficiency and sustainable development.

Overview

The analysis of the current situation within state institutions and ministries concerned with energy efficiency and sustainable development, indicated the need for political action in several directions:

• critical assessment of existing strategic documents aimed at reducing carbon emissions and promoting the use of alternative energy sources
• change in approaches to policy making at national and local levels so they reflect all aspects of climate change and integrate new requirements, with which new legislation have to comply
• assessing the impact of climate change on human resources and trends in labor productivity and employment in the country, focusing on the acquisition of “green” skills and “green” jobs
• general changes in attitudes and current practices and habits of society for the implementation of energy efficient solutions in energy consumption.

Through this project, the Bulgarian School of Politics contributed to the establishment of a new type of leadership and legislative process that requires systematic evaluation of the potential economic, social and environmental impacts of all legislative initiatives. Through it, the School supported the change in legislative acts of the National Assembly so that compliance with the consequences of climate change becomes a major standard for decisions on long-term investment plans at national and local level. It also contributed to the change in personal responsibility and engagement of each member of parliament and the parliamentary administration towards environmental conservation and energy-efficient behavior.

Main Activities

• Thematic discussions on various aspects of climate change and environmental protection, including the presentation of Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS)
• Presentation and analysis from Europe and Bulgaria in the fields of environmental protection, climate change mitigation and reducing the emissions of greenhouse gases
• related to environmental conservation at the National Assembly
• Production and distribution of information materials
• Creating and maintaining a project website with database of good practices

Implementation Perion 

1^st February 2010 – 31^st December 2010.

Funding  

The Project was financed by Iceland, Lichtenstein and Norway through the EEA Financial Mechanism.