On March 1st the National roundtable for sustainable energy investments took place in Sofia under the title "The National Decarbonisation Fund: Structuring, Operational management, Market development". This was the third and final SMAFIN event for the financing of energy efficiency and renewable energy projects, with the focus on the report on the completion of the initial stage of the development of the National Decarbonisation Fund in the country.

"The National Decarbonisation Fund is a key element of the Recovery and Resilience Plan, but we cannot sit back and wait for it to be structured and capitalised without doing anything. If we want to achieve our building renewal targets, we need to use the financial tools available. The key is the creation of a coordination unit in the Council of Ministers to combine and direct the funds available through different lines to the priority sectors", said Dragomir Tzanev, Executive Director of the Center for Energy Efficiency EnEffect.

The event was attended by representatives of the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works, the Ministry of Energy, the Agency for Sustainable Energy Development, the World Bank, the National Advisory Council on the Green Deal, as well as representatives of public and local authorities, industry organizations, associations and citizens interested in sustainable energy.

Following the opening plenary, during the two consecutive specialised sessions, the main areas of application of the Fund - the renovation of residential and public buildings - were discussed.

"We expected the interest in the renovation programme to exceed two or three times the available resources, but it looks like it will be even bigger. There is no way to meet this interest and achieve the goals of the long-term renovation strategy without reducing the grant component," said Dobromir Vassilev, Director of the Housing Policy Directorate at the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works.

"Bulgaria has made progress in energy efficiency policies, but there are still a number of problems. The main one is the expectation that 100% grant funding will continue, but there is also a need for new financial instruments and professional training, including for energy auditors. The World Bank will continue to assist the country in these areas," said Ivan Krofak, World Bank representative. 

More information on previous SMAFIN roundtables can be found on the project page.