site.btaTrade Union Calls for Timely Submission of Territorial Just Transition Plans

The Confederation of Independent Trade Unions in Bulgaria (CITUB) urged the government to make sure the Territorial Just Transition Plans (TJTPs) be submitted to the European Commission on time. CITUB is willing to participate in the preparation of the final versions of the plans. CITUB held a news conference here Monday to present the organization's positions on a number of issues from the nation's agenda.

The CITUB call regarding the just transition plan was prompted by information that Bulgaria has decided not to use funding from the Just Transition Fund this year. 

The information transpired earlier in March in Brussels, where European Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms Elisa Ferreira said during a news conference that the Commission had been informed by the government of Bulgaria that this year they would not be interested in starting the implementation of the Just Transition Plan.

Following that, President Rumen Radev said the caretaker government had not waived EU funding for energy transition and put down a statement by Commissioner Ferreira to a misunderstanding. This year Bulgaria is to get EUR 800 million provided it submits plans by the year's end, Radev said.

In 2022, the caretaker government failed to submit officially the TJTPs for the regions that will be most affected by the planned phasing out of coal (Stara Zagora, Pernik and Kyustendil), resulting in a loss of EUR 97 million in Just Transition Fund money.

CITUB said Monday that the final versions of the TJTPs are due to be submitted to the EC by the end of June, if this country is to gain access to 70% of the available resource of EUR 856 million.

CITUB Vice President Ognyan Atanassov said that the funding can reach Bulgaria by the end of 2023.