Speeches

Mr President, I would like to congratulate the rapporteur, the occasion for today's discussion on efficient and effective work, and the entire team that has worked with him. The agreement reached with the Council and the Commission has several crucial elements that I would like to highlight today in this final debate. Firstly, it promotes refining, processing, recycling and substitution in Europe, within Europe's borders, which is a crucial element in the direction of our policy. The administrative burden of companies that would work in this field is reduced. The act recognises the need to present financial incentives to develop clean and efficient production technologies for critical raw materials projects. It also offers a framework for strategic partnerships on critical raw materials with third countries and will make the EU a desirable partner internationally.

Madam President, Commissioner, Prime Minister, colleagues, Prime Minister, you raised the question of how to contribute to a united Europe, how Bulgaria should contribute. My answer is with an ambitious and constructive participation of Bulgaria in the implementation of the policies of the European Union and here I will pay attention to the policies for energy security and independence, which are also part of the Green Deal of the European Union. What is your view, Prime Minister, on the potential of energy efficiency and building stock renovation measures to achieve the objectives of the energy mix, reduce the carbon footprint and decarbonise, especially from the point of view of Bulgaria, a country that is heavily dependent on Russian energy supplies, has delayed the preparation and implementation of its just transition plans and the update of the National Energy and Climate Plan? It also inherited a building stock built according to outdated socialist standards.

Madam President, it is undeniable that the objective of reducing harmful emissions from industry is part of the implementation of the European Union's Growth Strategy and the transformation of Europe into a climate-neutral continent. This is the direction for the development of the European industry and the proposal of the European Commission and the position of the European Parliament are key to unify the scope, indicators and targets to be achieved by industrial companies. At the same time, no good intention should come at the expense of the competitiveness of the European economy and should not create administrative obstacles to business and unnecessary bureaucracy. And this is exactly one of the main elements for discussion on the directive that we are discussing. A balance is needed between requirements, set goals and real capacity of companies to achieve these goals. The solution lies in innovation, digitalisation and measured steps of consistent implementation of requirements. In this direction are the expectations of business, European industry and research centers. This is also expected from the European Parliament.

Madam President, there is no doubt that Europe needs a complete transformation of its energy system, which requires key decisions concerning energy policies, the pace of decisions on an efficient energy transition and on energy independence. The war in Ukraine has shown us indiscriminately how important this is for the future of Europe. The implementation of REPowerEU will accelerate the deployment of renewables in Europe, promote further strengthening of energy efficiency as an important component of the whole system and ultimately lead to increased energy savings, energy security and independence. The proposed changes include enhanced measures to speed up permitting procedures for new RES and solar installations. An absolutely necessary measure that we support and that will be effective if Member States actively engage in its implementation and find the support of local authorities.

Mr President, gentlemen Commissioners, the RePowerEU Plan is another step in the overall work of the European Union institutions following the Fit for 55 package and as a consequence of the entire Recovery and Resilience Facility, and mainly on the directives on energy efficiency, renewable energy and the energy performance of buildings, which aim to raise energy efficiency ambitions, accelerate the green transition and diversify energy supplies. Synergy between all these instruments is the only realistic way to implement them effectively. By including a ‘RePower EU’ chapter in Member States’ national recovery and resilience plans, additional investment and strengthening energy reforms that are necessary for the overall transformation of the European energy system can also be achieved. The development and implementation of these chapters in the plans will lead both to an update of these plans in the light of the situation on the energy markets and the war in Ukraine, and at the same time to an increase in the effectiveness of the plans and diversification and independence.

Mr President, Commissioner, the New European Bauhaus transposes the philosophy of the Green Deal into our daily lives, making the living environment close to its principles. I am convinced that the European Parliament will support the New European Bauhaus report because it contains a lot of energy from everything that was proposed by all the co-rapporteurs during the debates on the report. I would like to thank the rapporteurs for the way they have led the discussion and the high political professionalism in completing the report. The New European Bauhaus can widely facilitate the implementation of the renovation wave throughout the whole chain of spatial design, planning and renovation of the existing building stock, extending the life cycle of buildings, improving their energy performance, ensuring the safety and durability of architectural assets, applying modern construction technologies and building management. We must also not forget the industrial cultural heritage, the cultural heritage across Europe that can become part of the environment of the modern, modern, subservient to the principles of the Green Deal in a living world of the European.

Mr President, in organising the European energy system and ending dependence on Russian supplies, it requires a radical acceleration of efforts and a fundamental change in energy supply, production and consumption structures. The European Union must formulate a comprehensive strategy on how to manage energy security and independence without losing sight of the objective of climate neutrality by providing diverse sources of energy, promoting fossil-free research and digital innovation, which is an indispensable part of the energy sector’s value chain. The Renewable Energy Directive is an instrument for energy independence and will help strengthen the capacity and efficiency of public authorities in preparation for establishing long-term policies and a clear regulatory framework to improve the business environment and stimulate investment in renewable energy deployment, achieve administrative burden reduction, build renewables and deploy technologies in small and medium-sized companies.

Mr President, Commissioner, the deepening energy crisis requires the European Union and all Member States to double their energy efficiency ambitions. We are facing the challenge of European energy independence and a key instrument for achieving this independence is precisely energy efficiency. I would like to highlight a special aspect in the renewed directive. This is the inclusion of the construction industry in energy efficiency policy, which allows promoting and increasing the use of renewable energy in the building stock, renovation of Europe's building stock, wide deployment and use of highly energy-efficient building materials and technologies in the construction industry. The European Union faces ambitious targets requiring action and investment aimed at increasing the energy efficiency of the industrial sector, the energy grid and transport. The public sector and, above all, local and regional authorities have a leading role to play in this process.

Madam President, Commissioner, the Recovery and Resilience Facility is a conquest of the European Union that offers both the Member States and the European institutions a new mechanism and philosophy of solidarity based on recovery by building on and achieving the objectives of the green and digital transformation. At national level, this innovation must come from the recovery and resilience plans. Two elements are crucial for the effective implementation of the mechanism and the implementation report on which we are debating today strongly underlines them. This is partnership and synergy. Partnership between public administration in member states, local and regional authorities, academia, civil society, business and all interested citizens. This is a key partnership for both the implementation and the control of the implementation of the plans. Countries that ignore this partnership or purposefully ignore it are doomed to fail to implement their plans. Synergy is the second key element for national plans, synergy with national plans, energy and climate with operational programmes supported by the Structural Funds with the national budget. We call on the European Commission to be particularly rigorous in monitoring the application of these principles.

Dear Mr President, Commissioner, the unilateral suspension of gas supplies from Russia to Bulgaria and Poland is part of Russia's military aggression in Ukraine and evidence of the dimensions of hostile action against Europe in terms of violating Europe's energy security and independence. The suspension of deliveries raises a series of questions to which Bulgaria and Poland, but also the entire European Union, must find an answer in the coming months. How and to what extent will European solidarity be activated? Does the European Union have the potential to provide a swift, effective and long-term response to the actions of the Russian side? Yes, absolutely yes. We already have the answer: Renew Power EU - an ambitious yet realistic plan. It also depends on us, in the European Parliament, how quickly the ‘Fit for 55’ package will be activated so that we can give tools to Member States and the European Commission. But there are issues that affect both Bulgaria and Poland. Are they ready to counteract and set in motion a set of measures to compensate for the suspension of supply, the acceleration of alternative supplies, the filling of gas storages, the development of a national energy mix with a focus on renewable energy and hydrogen, urgent investments in energy efficiency, consideration of gas extraction possibilities within national borders? Bulgaria and Poland should develop these measures with the support of the European Commission. Suspending gas supplies to our countries is a shock to households and businesses, but completely breaking dependence on energy supplies from Russia is also an opportunity.

Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, the new Horizon Europe programme is one of the European Union's most ambitious projects, combining high objectives, innovative approaches and a wide margin for cooperation and partnership. The partnership is a core principle of the programme and the new proposal for nine institutionalised partnerships further develops the principle and becomes a tool to achieve a wide range of opportunities in the European Union's research environment. Partnerships bring together public and private actors to address some of the toughest challenges facing a united Europe. They allow the European Commission and Member States to work with industry and small and medium-sized enterprises for a green and digital transition. The proposal also contains the very important element of policy synergy and building a toolbox for additionality and greater efficiency of the European Union budget and maximum impact of investments in key strands. It is also essential to involve all Member States in the partnership in order to achieve the full coverage and participation effect and to develop innovative research.