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On 1 February 1995 the European Association Agreement (EAA) of the Republic of Bulgaria to the European Union (EU) entered into force. In a special Declaration on this occasion, the Bulgarian Government noted that the Agreement corresponds to the priority national interests for integration into the European structures, stating explicitly that the European orientation is a top priority for Bulgaria.
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The national and regional energy security of Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries has become a hot topic of discussion in the EU recently, focusing the attention of experts, policy makers, and the general public on ongoing and future energy projects but also on the features of energy governance in these countries. The interruption of gas supplies to Europe as a result of the Russian-Ukrainian pricing dispute in 2009, the continuing Russian-Ukrainian crisis after the annexation of Crimea, and the EU-Russia controversies regarding the South Stream pipeline project, as well as Gazprom’s non-compliance with the EU regulations in several anti-trust cases in the past few years are the major cornerstones that shape the CEE energy security framework and policy options as the region remains heavily dependent on Russian oil, gas, and nuclear technology. At the same time, the fragile democratic traditions in the CEE countries, the existing networks of political protectionism and economic oligarchy, and the opaque business practices nurtured by corruption and links with organized crime, have been reinforced by the negative implications of Russian economic and geo-political influence. Russia has exploited its dominant position in the energy market and its long-term links with certain political and economic groups to shape political decisions across the region according to its own interests, but often to the detriment of the home country consumers. The current review of energy security risks in four selected CEE countries, two energy poor – Bulgaria and Serbia, and two energy-resourced– Romania and Ukraine, assesses the factual situation per se and the transparency and accountability of energy policy governance in the region.
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The national and regional energy security of Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries has become a hot topic of discussion in the EU recently, focusing the attention of experts, policy makers, and the general public on ongoing and future energy projects but also on the features of energy governance in these countries. The interruption of gas supplies to Europe as a result of the Russian-Ukrainian pricing dispute in 2009, the continuing Russian-Ukrainian crisis after the annexation of Crimea, and the EU-Russia controversies regarding the South Stream pipeline project, as well as Gazprom’s non-compliance with the EU regulations in several anti-trust cases in the past few years are the major cornerstones that shape the CEE energy security framework and policy options as the region remains heavily dependent on Russian oil, gas, and nuclear technology. At the same time, the fragile democratic traditions in the CEE countries, the existing networks of political protectionism and economic oligarchy, and the opaque business practices nurtured by corruption and links with organized crime, have been reinforced by the negative implications of Russian economic and geo-political influence. Russia has exploited its dominant position in the energy market and its long-term links with certain political and economic groups to shape political decisions across the region according to its own interests, but often to the detriment of the home country consumers. The current review of energy security risks in four selected CEE countries, two energy poor – Bulgaria and Serbia, and two energy-resourced– Romania and Ukraine, assesses the factual situation per se and the transparency and accountability of energy policy governance in the region.
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The report analyses the major governance issues of the energy sector in Bulgaria, as well as the common energy crimes. It makes an overview of the 2020 Strategy and presents a recommended governance approach. The Bulgarian energy sector is key for the future development of the country’s economy. For the past decade energy exports and imports formed on average 12% (16% in 2008) and 21% (22% in 2008) of the value of the country’s outgoing and incoming trade flows respectively. Every fourth public procurement contract is concluded in the energy sector, making it one of the biggest taxpayers’ money spenders in the country. In 2008, in a single year, the Bulgarian government committed to energy projects, requiring budgetary investments equal in value to the whole EU funds support for the country for the current European seven year budget period 2007 – 2013.
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The report reviews the green growth and sustainable development for Bulgaria. According to the authors, the current pattern of energy use in Bulgaria (including both households and industry) is unsound. The country’s energy intensity is striking, when compared to other European countries, thus, Bulgaria’s overriding priority is stimulating energy efficiency by sufficiently utilizing EU funds. Measures to boost energy efficiency mean more jobs and revenues for Bulgarian SMEs, while measures promoting energy savings mean utilizing the existing capacity at a low or no extra cost
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Reaching an agreement at the Copenhagen conference on climate change starting on 7 December 2009 will be tough. Everyone is a sinner in a way: (1) the main advocates of binding agreement on climate change such as the European countries (EU plus Norway) and Japan are big emitters, taken together; (2) the main suspects - US and China are the biggest emitters, each in its own different way and are seen as dragging their feet over target agreements; (3) the rest are falling in between with less access to novel technologies and gaping inefficiencies in their economies. Bulgaria has evidently fulfilled its target commitments under Kyoto and it is a small emitter. Nevertheless, Bulgaria remains more carbon-intensive than China as per capita and than US as per GDP. Its inefficient economy, however, holds considerable potential for a greener future. This is particularly true for its industry. Bulgaria needs to take decisive actions in improving the energy efficiency of its industrial and energy production and in introducing green technologies and further measures for sustainable consumer behavior. But how much is it willing to pay for it?
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The decision of the Bulgarian Parliament from 4 April 2014 to adopt at first reading the amendments in the Energy Law, which grants South Stream special status highlights the lack of logic in the national energy policy and compounds the impression that public interest is not the driving force behind the proposed changes. The decision and the manner, in which it was taken, reveal some of the most serious problems in Bulgaria’s energy policy in terms of bad governance and corruption.The adopted amendments at first reading to the Energy Law demonstrate yet again the risks of state capture by third-party interests, which do not correspond or even contradict the public interest. The real problems, which Bulgarian society faces on a daily basis, such as energy poverty, high energy prices, and low diversification and energy efficiency receive only a fraction of the attention, in terms of institutional and policy-making focus, compared to projects such as South Stream. What is even more alarming is that the recent actions of the ruling majority take place in the context of increasing geostrategic insecurity and danger of confrontation, which further exacerbate the risks deriving from such decisions.
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The article is a summary of research on the actual and potential integration of environmental insurance and ISO 14001 environmental management systems (EMSs) in Poland. The aim ofthe research is to analyze the relationship of the above-mentioned instruments of environmental risk management and to identify the factors determining the propensity of enterprises to implement such elements of the system that will increase the usefulness of ISO 14001 standards for insurance purposes in the future. The data for the study were obtained through an asynchronous group interview conducted on the Bulletin Board platform among insurance sector experts and through a survey of organizations that implemented the ISO 14001 system in Poland. Template analysis of qualitative data, supported by narrative techniques and statistical analysis based on the chi-square test of independence, U Mann–Whitney test, Kruskal–Wallistest, Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient were used to interpret the data. Environmental management systems according to ISO 14001 are not, in their current form, used in the process of providing insurance cover for environmental risk. Organizations managed according to ISO14001 rarely design and implement solutions useful to insurers. The latter, however, are statistically significantly correlated with the awareness attributes of the organization. Awareness attributes were also strongly related with the variables describing the propensity to implement additional – useful for insurance purposes – EMSs elements. The strongest motivators for the above, however, were of a non-insurance nature (e.g. obtaining tax credit).
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In recent decades, Iraqi historical cities have witnessed substantial urban and social changes that have turned them into unattractive places for living and investment, and where development potential has been ignored. The weakness of strategic plans regarding the consideration of the present urban development strategies has led to the random growth of the city, the distortion of cultural heritage sites and the quality of life in cities, generating social and environmental problems. That is why there is a need for the foundation of a territorial development strategy of Iraq and the studied area - the Diyala region and the city of Baquba, which is in accordance with the objectives of sustainable development at the world level and with modern urban regeneration approaches, which implies the improvement of the historical identity and cultural. The outcome of the development strategy of Dyala region and Baquba city must reflect the objectives of sustainable development and have a clear vision and strategic objectives in the short and medium term.
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The notion of smart cities has emerged as an essential solution for tackling the significant challenges facing contemporary society, including rapid urbanization, climate change and globalization. Smart cities harness state-of-the-art technologies like the Internet of Things (IoT), Big Data, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) to enhance various aspects of urban life, spanning from living conditions and work environments to information accessibility, social interactions and environmental sustainability. This technological integration offers numerous benefits, accelerating infrastructure development and improving residents' quality of life. Standardization and the incorporation of international standards, such as ISO 37120, ISO 37122 and ISO 37123 play a crucial role in assessing city performance. Romania's adoption of these standards represents a significant step towards evaluating and improving its cities. However, for efficacious implementation, it is imperative to develop implementation guidelines and provide support and training to local authorities. A comprehensive list of 95 performance indicators, categorized into six domains, can provide cities with essential tools for assessing and monitoring their progress towards becoming smart cities and promoting sustainable development. Customizing these indicators to match the unique characteristics of each city and fostering close collaboration with local communities, organizations and experts are crucial aspects for shaping and overseeing strategic objectives that positively influence the quality of life and sustainable urban development. This personalized approach is vital for the successful realization of smart cities.
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This article aims to explore sustainable development pathways in the housing sector of post-communist countries from the former Eastern Bloc, in the context of the ongoing growth of major urban centers, contemporary changes and socio-economic transformations within cities. To establish the limits of this brief research, we will examine sustainable development through social, economic, political and demographic aspects. Additionally, to enhance our understanding of sustainable housing development, we will apply a multidisciplinary approach to two case studies: Romania and France. By adopting this multidisciplinary perspective, we will compile and analyze the key events along a timeline that underlie major paradigm shifts in each researched domain. Comparing these events in terms of temporality and intensity will provide insights into the parameters under which sustainable housing developments should evolve.
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