Bulgaria is in favour of the general approach to setting CO2 emission standards for heavy-duty trucks, outlined at an EU Council meeting in Luxembourg, and appreciates the work which the Spanish Presidency of the EU Council has carried out on the matter, the Environment and Water Ministry in Sofia reported on Monday.
EU ministers discussed a proposal for a regulation on heavy-duty truck CO2 emission standards.
Bulgarian Environment and Water Minister Julian Popov supported ideas to expand a provision concerning the need to take account of the infrastructure development level in non-EU countries. He said the future regulation should acknowledge developments in transport electrification and battery use around the world, including the United States and China. Popov warned that if the EU does not become more active, it will fall behind other powerhouses in the field of innovation and technology. The minister called for ambitious actions.
He added, though, that transport electrification in Europe is proceeding at a fast pace even now. As an example, he referred to the Bulgarian capital Sofia, where the rate of electrification of public transport has reached 75%.
The Council also discussed a proposed EU directive on urban wastewater treatment. Popov said the future directive will pose a very big challenge to Bulgaria in terms of investments and capacity. He insisted that the national circumstances and the unequal starting positions of the member states should be kept in sight. Popov noted that, despite some success in the field of urban wastewater treatment in the countries which joined the EU after 2006, relevant deadlines remain too tight and are still a major challenge, which is exacerbated by new, very high requirements. Therefore, Bulgaria abstained from voting.
/RY/
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