On 16 December 2021, the Center for the Study of Democracy (CSD) presented during an international conference its report Switching the Gears of Decarbonisation: Policy Action for a Low-Carbon Transformation of the Bulgarian Economy. The study showcases two alternative decarbonisation scenarios for Bulgaria – a long term decarbonization scenario, and a policy scenario that takes into account the National Energy and Climate Plan and the National Recovery and Resilience Plan. It outlines a series of key policy recommendations for an effective decarbonisation including the acceleration of coal phase-out by 2030, the decentralization and democratization of the energy system, the need for innovation in industry, buildings and transport, and the prerequisite for tackling energy poverty as an integrating part of this transition.

The panelists included Michel Cornet, Energy and Climate Consultant from CLIMACT, who presented the Pathways Explorer tool, which CSD has used to develop the modelling scenarios for Bulgaria, Dr. Laszlo Szabo, Director of Regional Centre for Energy Policy Research (REKK), Hungary, Dr. Radu Dudau, Co-founder and Director of the Energy Policy Group, Romania, and Professor Dimitri Lalas, Senior Expert at FACETS, Greece.

The speakers delved into the existing national energy and climate strategies of the EU and assessed their countries’ decarbonisation potential, in light of the challenges related to the much more ambitious EU 2030 targets as part of the ‘Fit-for-55’ package.