site.btaDeputy PM Zaharieva: Every Euro Invested in Environment Returns Twentyfold

Deputy PM Zaharieva: Every Euro Invested in Environment Returns Twentyfold

Sofia, October 16 (BTA) - European Commission research shows
that every euro from EU funds invested in environmental
innovations has led to a return of 20 euro and each supported
project has generated eight additional permanent jobs, caretaker
Deputy Prime Minister on Economic Policy and Minister of
Regional Development and Investment Planning Ekaterina Zaharieva
said. She was speaking at Thursday's opening of a conference
under her auspices titled "Environment, Health and Safety at
Work 2014". The event was organized by the Srednogorie Med
Industrial Cluster association.

The best results can be expected when investments in technology
and the production process are combined with improved working
conditions, Zaharieva said. If employers invest funds and
efforts in safety at work they gain much more. The controlling
functions of the state are important but responsible business is
even more important, she added.

Innovations in green economy are central in the European
Commission's proposals for development of the cohesion policy.
Funds from Operational Programme Science and Education for Smart
Growth are planned to be used for the establishment of centres
of excellence or competency centres to help generate new ideas
in science and their implementation in practice. This will
benefit industry and other sectors, Zaharieva said.

When there are enough and correctly directed investments then
the results are good - both in respect to production development
and in respect to environment protection and health and safety
at work, said Politimi Paunova, Executive Director of the
Bulgarian Association of Metallurgical Industry. Investments in
the branch amount to some 4,000 million leva, between 20 and 30
per cent of which are considered directly related to the
environment. The rest are technological investments but they,
too, have an indirect impact on the environment and better
workplaces, she added. General ailments in the metallurgy branch
have decreased between three- and fivefold after the
investments and there are enterprises where occupational
diseases have not been reported in the last ten years. The
process largely also depends on the responsibility of the
workers, as education and personal responsibility on the job are
very important.