President Radev: For Bulgaria, Recovery and Resilience Plan is not just financial means, but an opportunity for real modernisation of the country

For Bulgaria, the Recovery and Resilience Plan is not just about financial means, but an opportunity for real modernisation of the country. Therefore, the projects set out in it should guarantee the sustainable development of the Bulgarian economy, President Rumen Radev said on November 14 during a meeting with the Head of the Recovery and Resilience Task Force at the European Commission, Celine Gauer, who is visiting Bulgaria. The meeting was attended by caretaker Deputy Prime Minister for EU Funds Management Atanas Pekanov and Energy Minister Rosen Hristov.

The Head of State highlighted the importance of the funds expected for Bulgaria under the Recovery and Sustainability Plan, which are aimed at bringing development in essential areas such as education, healthcare and justice. The reform of the Bulgarian justice system, including the work of the Prosecutor's office, is also necessary to increase the predictability and transparency of the economic environment in the country, the President stressed. In this regard, he added that the caretaker government developed and submitted to the National Assembly the bills in the area of the rule of law, necessary in terms of the second payment under the Plan.

"Bulgaria has the ambition to continue establishing itself as an energy hub in our region with the implementation of innovative and environmentally friendly technologies," Rumen Radev further said.

The Head of State stressed that the projects envisaged under the Recovery and Resilience Plan should contribute to a sustainable and socially just transition by ensuring the best national energy mix and at the same time taking into account Bulgaria's energy role in the region. It is therefore crucial to seek long-term solutions for the extraction and storage of clean renewable energy. As examples of the use of modern technologies in the energy sector, already applied in other countries, the President highlighted the capture and storage of carbon dioxide, the possibility of building a photovoltaic plant with a large capacity for environmentally friendly electricity production, as well as the production of green hydrogen. It is of key importance for Bulgaria that the transition to a green economy leads to the preservation and development of the employment of those working in the energy complex and in the coal mining regions of the country, President Rumen Radev further stressed during the meeting.