The Bulgarian School of Politics organized a conference with a topic “The New Green Economy – the Bulgarian Response” at the National Assembly on the 19 October 2010. Patron of the event was the President of the National Assembly Mrs. Tsetska Tsacheva. MPs, ambassadors, representatives of local authorities, businesses, NGOs and media attended the conference.
“Low-carbon economy is our chance not only to save the world in which we live. This is an opportunity for new, modern technologies, advanced solutions and promotion of entrepreneurship. As a sovereign state and as a member of the EU, the future path of Bulgaria is the new green economy”, said at the opening of the Vice-President of the National Assembly Atanas Atanasov.
According to the chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on the Environment and Water Mrs. Iskra Mihailova, “sustainable development implies environmental regulations that affect all areas of the entire life cycle”. She stressed that the achievement of 20/20/20 target of the European Union means 60 billion euros less for imported oil and gas and a total of 3 million jobs for the so-called “green collars”.
The participants in the forum discussed whether Bulgaria can rely on green and sustainable economy in the fight against climate change and the financial crisis. The ambassadors of Finland and the Netherlands HE Tarja Laytiaynen and HE Karel Van Kesteren presented the experience of their countries with the topic.
The MP from the PG of GERB Valentin Nikolov was awarded “The greenest MP” in a contest for reduction in the consumption of fuel and electricity. The reward was a “green” step made of ecological materials.
This is the second conference organized by the Bulgarian School of Politics within the project “Green step forward: a new commitment and responsibility towards the environment from the Bulgarian MPs”. The project is financed by Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway through the Financial Mechanism of the European Economic Area. The first conference at the National Assembly named “The Energy Revolution – Which Side of the Barricade Shell We Choose” took place in May, during the traditional green week of the European Union. As part of it 240 coniferous trees were planted by the Bulgarian MPs.
Photos from the conference are available here.
The presentations from the conference: