Bulgaria's green 'landmark'

Bulgaria has welcomed landmark proposals to slash greenhouse gas emissions…

The new package aims to put into legislation the goals to cut emissions of carbon dioxide by 20% by 2020, compared to the levels in 1990. To help achieve this, the 27 EU nations have been set individual targets for renewable energy use, which must total 20% of all forms used in 12 years' time.

European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso revealed that the fight against climate changes would cost the bloc around EUR 60 B a year, which raised concerns among industry that the costs are too high. "We are very happy with the result. The cost of inaction is up to 10 times more than what we are proposing," Barroso commented.

The new plan allows the newest EU members Bulgaria and Romania to increase greenhouse gas emissions by up to 20% by 2020 over 2005 levels while their economies catch up.

Benefit to Bulgaria

Experts commented the plan brings benefits to Bulgaria but added the proposed abolition of national distribution of the emissions as of 2013 would be a great challenge for the industry. Setting the national emission targets according to GDP per capita also made the richer countries grumbling they will have to bear the brunt.

The new measures must now be debated and endorsed by the EU nations and the European Parliament, and changes to them are all but inevitable, officials said. Although Bulgaria welcomes the new plan, Government representatives in Sofia previously said it will sue the EC over the drastically cut emission quota for 2008-2012.

In October 2007, Brussels slashed Bulgaria's quota for the period by 37% with experts claiming that the EU have not taken into account the decommissioning of unit 3 and 4 of Bulgaria's nuclear power plant Kozloduy, making CO2 producing thermal power plants work at full capacity.