/ world today news/ The government and business are looking for solutions at a round table for the transport of the future
The war in Ukraine has shifted the focus away from the fight against climate change. And this is quite logical – there is no way the battle for the climate will be won while real military actions are taking place around us. Nevertheless, the change of the current economic model is inevitable. Transport is one of the sectors with the largest carbon footprint in the EU and will necessarily need to be transformed.
This was said by the head of the Delegation of the Bulgarian Socialists in the European Parliament, Petar Vitanov, who organized a round table “Transport of the future – clean energy at a fair price” together with Automotive Cluster Bulgaria.
The discussion was attended by Vice President Iliana Yotova, Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Ecology and Water Borislav Sandov, Deputy Minister of Transport Bozhidar Kostadinov, Nastimir Ananiev, Chairman of the Commission for Regional Policy, Public Works and Local Self-Government, Dragomir Stoynev, Chairman of the Commission on EU Affairs , Prof. Miglena Temelkova, rector of the Higher School of Posts and Telecommunications, arch. Lyubomir Stanislavov, Executive Director of Automotive Cluster Bulgaria, Hrabrin Ivanchev, Chairman of the Board of the Association of Automobile Manufacturers and their authorized representatives in Bulgaria, representatives of the NGO sector, business, etc.
“The future is electric mobility, green trains and buses. In order to preserve the mobility we have today, it must become more ecological, sustainable and nature-friendly,” said Petar Vitanov.
“Today, transport and ecology in the European Union mean only security,” said Vice President Iliana Yotova. “We need a new infrastructure, especially at the European level,” she pointed out. Vice-President Yotova recalled that the big goal set by the EU is to have no cars with internal combustion engines in 2050. It’s high time to think about how the “Ready for 55” package is being implemented in Bulgaria. According to Iliana Yotova, a structured Bulgarian program under this package should be seen.
The Deputy Prime Minister for Climate Policies and Minister of Environment and Water Borislav Sandov announced that by the end of 2020, there are about 3,000 electric cars in Bulgaria, and by 2026 their number will increase tenfold, reaching 30,000. The country is engaged in the construction of the charging infrastructure, Minister Sandov added. He pointed out that there should be 10,000 public points across the country where everyone can charge their electric car.
“This makes a dense network, including 20-30 hubs along main road arteries. We are talking about highways where fast charging can happen,” said Sandov. Such public charging points for electric cars will also be built in the central city parts of The 50 main Bulgarian cities, as well as in large residential districts, the minister also said.
For the last 10 years, the number of people employed in the production of cars and components in Bulgaria has increased from 7,000-8,000 to over 70,000. This was announced by the executive director of “Automotive Cluster Bulgaria”, Arch. Lubomir Stanislavov. He pointed out that the turnover of these companies increased from BGN 500 million to BGN 6.5 billion. “The introduction of electric cars and increasingly better software are a chance for Bulgaria to have a leading position in this field,” said arch. Stanislavov.
“One of the big problems related to electric cars is their price,” said Nastimir Ananiev, chairman of the parliamentary Committee on Regional Policy, Public Works and Local Self-Government. Ananiev added that many countries in the European Union are taking specific measures with subsidies in a different direction, such measures can be introduced in Bulgaria as well.
According to Dragomir Stoynev, chairman of the European Union Commission, the state’s role is to support the construction of the necessary infrastructure for electric vehicles. “Without charging stations and the necessary infrastructure, our country cannot count on the market to develop,” said Stoynev and gave the example of France, where there are already taxis powered by hydrogen technology.
“Bulgaria is significantly behind other Eastern European countries in terms of the use of environmentally friendly vehicles. Our fleet is morally and physically outdated, with the average age of the cars being 20 years,” said the chairman of
The Management Board of the Association of Automobile Manufacturers and their authorized representatives in Bulgaria Hrabrin Ivanchev. He called on the authorities to create a mechanism to encourage people to buy new environmentally friendly cars. Currently, statistics show that only 1% of the cars sold in Bulgaria are electric or hybrid, while in Europe they are over 30%.
The round table brought together the perspectives of representatives of the executive and legislative power, business, education and the non-governmental sector to identify the most important tasks on the way to clean and sustainable transport. The participants united around the thesis that Bulgaria should be an active participant in the upcoming transformation in order to take advantage of the opportunities it provides.
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