Ideas for Urgent Revision of the National Plan for Recovery and Resilience Discussed by Experts

Ideas for an urgent revision of the Bulgarian National Plan for Recovery and Resilience (NPRR) after Coronavirus in five major areas were discussed by experts at a press conference, which was held on 15.01.2021 in Sofia. The event was organized by the Coalition "For a Green Restart". Natalia Dimitrova, project manager at BlueLink, also took part in the event.

In an open letter the Coalition insisted on a clear mechanism for processing the proposals made during the public discussion of the NPRR in November 2020, when almost 50 opinions were received from over 60 organizations. Bulgaria to use the 12 billion euros of additional funds from the European Union for a green restart of the Bulgarian economy, urged the coalition, which was initiated by MOVE.BG and also includes Greenpeace - Bulgaria, WWF Bulgaria and the Institute of Circular Economy.

These funds are the Bulgarian part of the unprecedented mechanism for recovery "Next Generation EU". The amount will be received from Bulgaria in the next three years, in addition to the European structural funds. The funds are not guaranteed and their allocation depends on the preparation of a national plan, following the principle of money against reforms, as well as support for the green and digital transformation of the economy.
Coalition "For a Green Restart" has proposed five key priorities for our country to be included in the NPRR: innovation and startup development, circular economy, climate, energy transition, as well as biodiversity and agriculture.

During the event, experts presented the highlights of the five priorities, which include: the establishment of a Green Investment Fund for financial and expert support for green and digital innovative SMEs with a focus on those in the start-up and active phase (startups and scaleups); development and implementation of a comprehensive policy for education and awareness on the topics of sustainable economic development in Bulgaria; guaranteed participation of citizens in the energy system as producers of energy for their own needs; creation of a specialized climate fund to support research and development activities (R&D) and implementation of the results of technological research, as well as programs and projects that lead to finding and implementing advanced solutions to address the climate crisis; and identifying key ecosystems and providing financial support through the NPRR for the development of a new socio-economic-environmental model for planning and administration of public funds in Bulgaria.

In 2021, BlueLink is committed to improving the dialogue of various stakeholders and professional groups that will be directly affected by the implementation of the National Plan for Recovery and Resilience. The work in this area is carried out within the project " Fostering Public Debate on Green Recovery and Resilience Process in Bulgaria " implemented by the Green European Foundation in cooperation with Bluelink and with the financial support of the European Parliament. The project envisages research and analysis of alternatives and good practices from three other EU member states related to the green recovery from COVID-19. The 3 most problematic areas within the NPRR will be identified, accompanied by the development of recommendations and position papers with specific proposals for their harmonization with the EC requirements.

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