Managing the Climate Transition: the Politicians' Vision

From left to right. Maria Cappone from "Stand Up BG! We are Coming!", Borislav Sandov from "Democratic Bulgaria-Unity", Kiril Petkov, "We Continue the Change", Dragomir Stoynev from BSP, Stanislav Anastasov from Movement for Rights and Freedoms, and Ivan Hinovski from "There is Such a Nation".

How to manage the climate transition in our country? Is there a link between the different units working on the green transformation? Is there a need for a dedicated structure to coordinate climate change policies and actions?

On the eve of the parliamentary elections, the civil society coalition "Green Restart" initiated by MOVE.BG gave the floor to politicians from the main parties on these important issues. They sat down at a Roundtable with experts from the Coalition to discuss how to better manage the climate transition. In the discussion  "The Green Public Agenda in Bulgaria: Holistic or Fragmented?"  took part Dragomir Stoynev from BSP for Bulgaria, Kiril Petkov from "We Continue the Change", Ivan Hinovski from "There is Such a Nation", Borislav Sandov from "Democratic Bulgaria-Unity", Stanislav Anastasov from DPS and Maria Cappone from "Stand up BG! We are coming". Due to an extraordinary commitment of Daniel Mitov, GERB-CDF was not represented at the Roundtable. On the side of the experts were Sasha Bezuhanova from MOVE.BG, Apostol Dyankov from WWF Bulgaria, Denitsa Petrova from “Greenpeace”-Bulgaria, Svetoslav Stoykov from the Institute for Circular Economy, and Georgi Stefanov from WWF Bulgaria.

The discussion is a continuation of the initiative of the “Green Restart Coalition” to create a special structure in the new government to coordinate sustainable development in Bulgaria - a Deputy Prime Minister for Climate Transition and Green Transformation. The post should help address key climate challenges facing our country - Bulgaria continues to have the most resource-intensive and carbon-intensive economy in the European Union, the energy transition is stalling, air pollution in Bulgarian cities and villages remains an unsolved problem, and at the same time, there is a lack of communication between the different departments and institutions working on the climate crisis. The Deputy Prime Minister, according to the proposal of the “Green Restart Coalition”, should also carry out an administrative reform that would lead to the creation of a Ministry of Climate Transition and Green Transformation. 

Sasha Bezuhanova, founder of MOVE.BG and moderator of the Roundtable, stressed that the new structure should help our country seize the opportunities that the climate transition presents for economic prosperity and societal development. Therefore, among the Deputy Prime Minister's main priorities should be the achievement of the European targets in Bulgaria - namely the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030 compared to 1990 levels, as well as achieving climate neutrality by mid-century. 

Sasha Bezuhanova.

"Our Roundtable today is taking place against the backdrop of the big UN climate conference COP26, which brings together over 30,000 political, and business leaders, experts, and activists from around the world to discuss and find solutions on a common theme - how to limit greenhouse effects, achieve carbon-neutral living on our planet by 2050, and limit global warming to 1.5 degrees," said Sasha Bezuhanova, who is the initiator of the “Green Restart Coalition”, adding:

"If we decompose this global goal to what it means for Bulgaria on a practical level, the first place is the closure of coal plants and the switch to renewable energy sources. Another aspect is the adaptation of economies and social systems to limit the effects of the climate crisis - many of the objectives of the “Next Generation EU” Recovery Program are in this direction. And, of course, taking urgent measures to limit deforestation and protect biological ecosystems.

Leadership is seeking agreement to introduce unified green norms and standards across the world for businesses and to mobilize public and private sector funding to limit the effects of the climate crisis. We do not have an integrated and shared plan on how we will follow the European targets that we have adopted as our targets.

Only with holistic and systemic management of the climate transition is it possible to make our country competitive in the world's line of development and ensure quality and promising life for the people here."

In this article, we provide you with a summary of the views of policymakers on the issue of creating a Climate Deputy Prime Minister, and in the next article in this series, you can read the positions of the experts.

Politicians’ view

According to Dragomir Stoynev, a member of the National Council of the Bulgarian Socialist Party, our country should set higher goals than the European ones in order to be competitive and attract foreign investments and high technologies. The former Minister of Economy (2013-2014) stressed that we are currently witnessing chaos in the management of the climate transition because there is a lack of horizontal linkage and interaction between the different units working on the green transformation. 

Dragomir Stoynev.

"This chaos can be reversed as the stakes for climate change are crucial in the next 30 years and if we truly want to have no disruption in the next three decades and get our country on a new sustainable path of economic development, we need to take action at the government level.

In my view, it is not necessary to have a Deputy Prime Minister such as you are proposing, because I am convinced that if he is without a portfolio, he will not be able to be a good coordinator. We need to think about a larger structure, such as a Ministry of Climate Transition, which would first formulate the national objectives and strategies for this transition, taking into account the European framework, and then, on the basis of a clear strategy, provide specific policies and measures to achieve these objectives."

Kiril Petkov, co-founder of “We Continue the Change”, believes that fighting corruption is key to the good governance of the climate transition because if we don't tackle this problem, everything else remains a theory. The former caretaker economy minister (May-September 2021) said an important step to support sustainable development is the creation of a Ministry of Economy and Innovation, where units related to the green transformation of the economy work together.

Kiril Petkov.

"We have set out to create a Ministry of Economy and Innovation where the Innovation Fund, the Fund of Funds, the Bulgarian Development Bank, the Investment Agency, and the Small and Medium Enterprises Agency work together. And as part of the results that all these units will bring, working on a common strategy, is to have the effects on the Bulgarian nature at stake. If we have at stake the creation of new startups that are part of this green economy and we are not just followers in this area, but leaders - I think Bulgaria will have a very different look on this topic.

A deputy prime minister on the climate transition may not be needed, but when Bulgaria's prime minister has the climate transition as part of his goals, that will be a good first step."

According to Ivan Hinovski from "There is Such a Nation", it is important to link climate policies not only with climate goals but also with those for the social and economic development of the country and to seek a balance between the different policies. Another important step is the direct linking of climate and energy, as the energy sector is the biggest polluter, and therefore Mr. Hinovski considered positively the establishment of a joint Climate and Energy Committee in the last National Assembly.

Ivan Hinovski.

"Our position is that because the climate transition is a very complex and complicated, multi-ministerial process - the level of governance and coordination should be the Deputy Prime Minister - Deputy Prime Minister for Climate Change with a national council under him because he alone cannot communicate with all the ministries involved. Therefore, there should be representatives of all the related ministries in this council.

Under this Deputy Prime Minister, there should also be a special investment fund where funds from individual banks, international institutions, and foundations should flow in to meet the climate targets because if there are no financial instruments, we will not really achieve anything."

Stanislav Anastasov, deputy chairman of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms, believes that climate transition policies should be elevated at least to the rank of minister, who is also a deputy prime minister. According to the MRF, Bulgaria has a very clear example to follow - the structure of the European Commission, where there is an executive deputy prime minister responsible for climate - this is Mr. Frans Timmermans, who is in charge of the EU's major green transformation program - the European Green Deal.

Stanislav Anastasov.

"In our reality that would mean a deputy prime minister, whoever the minister is, with a clear portfolio.

However, we believe this will not be enough. First, we need to accept that this topic is not external. Bulgaria is part of the EU and its policies. Secondly, this topic is not just horizontal, it is all-encompassing. All ministers and the entire Council of Ministers must embrace it, and so must the National Assembly. Because the climate transition is not only an environmental challenge but also a new economic and social philosophy. 

We are very fortunate to be part of the richest and most progressive union in the world - the European Union. This is a huge opportunity for Bulgaria and Bulgarian society and economy."

Maria Cappone, vice-president of the United People's Party, said that the goal of the green transformation is to reduce carbon emissions, and this is a big challenge for Bulgaria because it affects our economy and life as a whole, as CO2 is emitted from every economic sector. According to Ms. Cappone, a key problem is that individual sectors are finding it difficult to agree to follow the sustainable development model and therefore measures need to be taken at the government level.

Maria Cappone.

"The recommendation for a single administrative center within the Council of Ministers to coordinate the green transformation and oversee its implementation is a good one. Many European governments, including the EC, have such a structure and, the reason why is very simple - it is needed. 

There needs to be a consistent and holistic approach that takes account of the green transformation of each sector as part of the overall transformation.

Always a key priority within a government needs to be backed up by a responsible minister - so as well as a deputy prime minister, that person needs to be a minister to have a portfolio and to oversee the delivery of policies.'

According to Borislav Sandov, co-chair of Zeleno Dvijenie (Green Movement), climate transition and green transformation should become a very important priority in the next government and parliament because our country has many tasks to solve. Mr. Sandov said that creating a Deputy Prime Minister, following the example of the European Commission, is the right step, as opposed to structuring a separate ministry, which would create administrative difficulties.

Borislav Sandov.

"Focusing on this topic by placing this minister [of the environment] also as Deputy Prime Minister would give a sufficient sign, and it would also enable this person to have a greater influence on the Council of Ministers, to make better contact with the many relevant ministries affected by this topic.

Would this administrative function alone be sufficient, however?

No. Environment and water officers are second to last in terms of the salaries they receive. If we have people working on very low salaries, this cannot create motivation. And then whether their minister is also deputy prime minister won't matter much in terms of the effectiveness of their work."

What else did the politicians share, and what is the opinion of the experts? Find out in the full recording of the "The Green Public Agenda in Bulgaria: Holistic or Fragmented?" here (in Bulgarian). Read our Open Letter here (in English).

* After the Roundtable, the MOVE.BG team sent to all six politicians questions from the audience, for which there was no time to be asked during the live broadcast. We received answers from Maria Cappone from "Stand Up BG! We are Coming!". You can read them here (in Bulgarian).