BulAtom participated in the conference “Energy Security – the basis for the development of European industry. The Role of Bulgaria”

On March 19, 2024, a conference was held in the European Parliament in Brussels on the topic “Energy security – basis for the development of European industry. The role of Bulgaria”, organized by the MEP from the Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats, Tsvetelina Penkova.

The event was attended by diplomats, members of the European Parliament, trade unionists, representatives of academia, the non-governmental sector and experts from the European Commission. More than 30 representatives of Bulgarian energy and industry participated in the conference, including Nikolay Nikolov, Deputy Minister of Energy and Angelin Tsachev, Executive Director of ESO.

The forum was opened by Tsvetelina Penkova, the European Commissioner for Economy Paolo Gentiloni and the Minister of Energy of Belgium Tine Van der Straten. The key role of Bulgaria in the development of European energy industrial policies and their implementation in the real economy was discussed at the conference. Other topics included the development of nuclear power as the basic base powe for the EU, the role of renewable energy sources and the need to improve the connectivity of electricity networks in the European Union. Among the highlights of the conference were the plan for re-industrialization of the EU, the key importance of strategic raw materials in Bulgaria and the Union, the provision and training of quality personnel.

In the second discussion panel at a conference on “The Nuclear Industry – Component Production and Development of Personnel Potential for the Realization of the Green Transition in Europe”, moderated by Massimo Gariba – Deputy Director General of the Directorate-General for Energy at the European Commission, on behalf of BulAtom took part the Chairman of the Management Board Dr. Eng. Bogomil Manchev. In his speech, which provoked great interest and was applauded by the present of the conference, Bogomil Manchev expressed the position of the association on key issues related to the development of nuclear energy in Bulgaria and around the world, and its role as clean, emission-free and sustainable energy for achieving climate neutrality, as well as for the development of new innovative technologies in all spheres of economic life. Once again, Bogomil Manchev emphasized that by 2050 Bulgaria should build as base capacities not only units 7 and 8 of Kozloduy NPP, but also two more nuclear units. The first two to replace the TPPs and the other two the currently operating nuclear units at the Kozloduy NPP.

According to Tsvetelina Penkova, “events like this have a real impact on decision-making in the EU and contribute to the development of the economy and energy of the entire continent ” and further: “Without the Bulgarian participation, nuclear energy would not have been recognized as a strategic energy technology, there would be no additional funding that ensures that new industries will not go only to the big countries, which can afford to Grant State Aid. 

Let us remind that in less than a year BulAtom participated for the third time in initiatives organized by and with the assistance of MEP Tsvetelina Penkova. The first event was held on 19.09.2023 at the European Parliament, Brussels, on our initiative an information meeting between representatives of the Bulgarian Atomic Forum (BULATOM) and members of the European Parliament, and the second on November 24, 2023 in the National Assembly in the conference “Energy Strategy of Bulgaria: Energy Security Plan”.