Political uncertainty makes it difficult for companies in our country on their way to the green transition

The frequent change of governments in Bulgaria makes it difficult for the industry in the green and digital transition. This is one of the highlights of the national study on the European project TWINING - Support for a double transition of European industries, presented today by Gabriela Dimitrova, Director of "International Cooperation" at the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The statement was made during an online national seminar organized by the Chamber, BTA added.

The main objective of the project is to prepare the European industrial sectors for the double transition. Work on it started last year and it has a total duration of 20 months. The partner countries of the European project are: Bulgaria, Belgium, Spain, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Montenegro and the Republic of North Macedonia, and the leader is an organization that deals with the unions in metalworking in Croatia.

As part of the study, an interview was conducted with experts in the field of both transitions, and one of their recommendations was to change the government less often. Experts believe that with regard to the double transition, the industry needs more information and transparency, targeted financial policy - participation in projects for financial support of companies for a successful transition, raising the level of awareness of the requirements and regulations of the double transition, as well as coordinated actions at country and sector level.

Among the dangers that experts see in moving to the double transition are: the need for a lot of time for the transition itself; the lack of data on the return period of the investments made in RES, small companies will continue to develop the potential for innovation, but will not have the necessary human qualified resource. Some of the experts fear an increase in the cost of the services offered by a particular company, more administrative burdens related to filing reports and bureaucracy, which will reduce work time, an increase in the cost of materials, an increase in the amount of necessary investments, as well and from a lack of trained personnel for the new technologies.

According to the project, a survey was also conducted among representatives of different sectors of industries, employers, workers of different ages. Ninety of the participants in the questionnaire indicated that the expected benefits of the double transition are related to increased competitiveness. For 60 percent, this is related to new customers and markets, 50 percent aims for energy efficiency, and 30 percent - lower costs.

When asked about the challenges they see in the double transition, the respondents indicate - the disparate information - 60 percent, the administrative burdens - 60 percent, lack of qualified personnel to implement the transition - 60 percent. Other challenges are related to the frequent change of rules and requirements - 40 percent, higher costs for innovation - 40 percent.

The most frequently taken steps to move to the double transition - 70 percent of respondents indicated the application of energy efficiency principles, the same number - the application of innovations, followed by training for the team in new skills in accordance with the innovations - 60 percent of the answers, and 40 percent - application of new technologies in production, improvement of the activity with the aim of environmental sustainability.

Sixty percent of respondents indicated that there was information about the green deal, but thought that more training could be done, 40 percent believed that a wider information campaign was needed, no one said, that he has all the information on the subject, commented the expert.

In February, again within the framework of the project, a meeting was held with a Focus Group with the participation of employers, workers and experts from various sectors, among the main recommendations was that small and medium-sized enterprises and the person - employee, worker, manager, consumer, should be the focus of all actions on the double transition, so that it can be achieved, said Gabriela Dimitrova. Regional positioning also matters, both in terms of natural resources, ecosystems, social systems, and depending on which area, which region a company operates in, its double transition activities will differ from those of its neighbor. Financial resources have been identified as key to the implementation of 80 percent of the measures that business and the state have undertaken for the dual transition. The time factor is also of great importance for the double transition, for some sectors it happens quite quickly, for example for RES, but in others - agriculture, it slows down, commented the expert and added that there are also sectors such as ICT, in which the transformation is constant.

Vasil Todorov, Deputy Chairman of the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, stated that this transformation is inevitable and Bulgarian business must be prepared for it. Regarding the green transition, Todorov pointed out that it is important both to achieve the goals - creating carbon neutrality within the European continent, and to do this in a way that is consistent with the needs of economic development, survival and the possibility of European companies to compete with other companies in the world.