Former Environment Minister Popov: Energy Economy Has Been Fundamentally Transformed in Last 15 Years

Momchil Rusev

Former environment minister Julian Popov at the opening of the 15th Green Forum in Sofia on June 4, 2024 (BTA Photo)

Sofia,

04.06.2024 14:03

(BTA)

The energy economy has been fundamentally transformed in the last 15 years, former environment minister Julian Popov said at the opening of the 15th Green Forum, which takes place on Tuesday at the Inter Expo Centre in Sofia. He gave the example that solar energy is the cheapest, wind energy is also getting much cheaper, while 15 years ago this was not the case. "Everything that was cheap then, such as coal and nuclear energy, is now expensive," Popov pointed out.

He argued that Europe's big problem is that it is lagging behind in the green economy. In his words, the regulatory framework is very well and beautifully outlined, especially in the Green Deal, but the reality looks a little different. He gave the example that China is now first in almost every area in the green economy, whereas Europe was the leader 15 years ago. "In fact, we are being left behind," he pointed out. Popov said that US and China's approach is different compared to that of European Union.

Popov believes that Europe has a great chance to "leap forward" if it can look at the next generation of technology. He is of the opinion that the EU countries should bet on what will be competitive with today's green technologies.

/RY/