 Bulgaria debates economic impact of CO2 targets
Bulgaria, the country with the most energy-intensive economy in the European Union, would benefit from aligning itself with the 'Europe 2020' targets on reducing greenhouse gas emissions and boosting renewable energies, as inevitably the measures introduced would boost competitiveness, experts said. Dnevnik, EurActiv's partner in Bulgaria, reports.
Bulgaria should have ambitious objectives for cutting greenhouse gas emissions so that it can transform itself from an extremely energy-intensive economy into one that is at least competitive or close to the average, argues Georgi Stefanov, a climate change expert at the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) in Sofia.
Stefanov was referring to the EU's '20/20/20' targets for greenhouse gas emission reductions and boosting renewable energies, outlined in the EU's climate and energy package and adopted as part of the new 'Europe 2020' strategy for growth and jobs (see 'Background'). However, Bulgarian industry representatives consider these targets to be unrealistic.
Bulgaria is one of the leading countries in implementing the targets set out in the Kyoto Protocol. The reason for this is the restructuring of the country's economy following the collapse of the communist model, which brought about the closure of many heavy industries.
In an interview with Dnevnik, WWF's Stefanov said that implementing the targets of the EU's new strategy would stimulate the creation of new technologies, new employment opportunities and less CO2. However, he expressed fears that Bulgaria would not see opportunities to increase revenues and modernise businesses by making an effort to reach the targets.
If the targets imposed on Bulgaria are not reached, then industry will have to endure draconian financial restrictions and many badly-managed sectors will collapse – bringing more unemployment to the country, he warned.
Heavy industry and energy-producing sectors are most affected by reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. ''But as these sectors are well-informed about the compulsory measures to implement, my opinion is that in the coming years it will be the transport sector that will suffer much more from the restrictions,'' he said
Source: http://www.euractiv.com
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