MOVE.BG has presented the special report "Mission Green Innovations: a Prosperity Compass," which contains over 200 ideas in support of the development of green innovations in Bulgaria as a path to prosperity for the state, society, and business, and for the protection of nature - link to the Compass here in English. The recommendations are based on the ideas of 50 leading experts, whom MOVE.BG brought together to formulate systemic solutions in support of the development of green innovation in five key areas: democracy, education, economy, municipalities, and financing. The Compass was presented on April 8 at a roundtable discussion "Mission Green Innovations: Opportunities for Bulgaria's Development," which was attended by politicians and experts and held with the support of Rezolv Energy.
Sasha Bezuhanova, Founder of MOVE.BG and the moderator of the roundtable said:
“The economy of the future is digitally-based, but also inevitably green due to the need to adapt to the changing climate.
Investing in green innovation today is not only a ticket to economic prosperity, it is also an investment in our security. Nature-based solutions can help us be more resilient to various challenges and better prepared and stronger in emergency situations.
With protected natural resources, energy and water security, prepared infrastructure, and competitive business, we can find a favorable path for our country's development and be resilient to turbulence and uncertainty.
That is why we are talking about green innovation today.”
Sasha Bezuhanova, Founder of MOVE.BG and the moderator of the roundtable.
Five stops on the road to prosperity through innovation
Green innovations bring numerous benefits for prosperity, including increased competitiveness, the creation of new jobs, cleaner air and healthier living conditions, protected rivers, preserved forests, and protected mountains. At the same time, Bulgaria continues to experience serious difficulties in creating and implementing green innovations: our country ranks last in the European Union's eco-innovation development index.
That is why the report "Mission Green Innovation: A Prosperity Compass" includes five stops on the road to positive public development with the help of green innovations. Each stop presents the ideas of leading Bulgarian experts with proven experience in the fields of science, business, sociology, the civil sector, the media, as well as representatives of political parties, and the financial sector.
The five stops in the "Compass to Prosperity" are:
- Democracy Stop – dedicated to the link between the state of democracy and green development. This stop presents ideas for tackling disinformation and propaganda, as well as for restoring people's trust in institutions.
- Education Stop - dedicated to school and university education and their connection with green innovation. This stop presents ideas for educating students about eco-friendly living, how to support young green innovators in universities, and how to overcome the shortage of personnel in key areas of green development, such as engineering, which threatens our social development.
- Economy Stop - dedicated to greening the economy and developing green entrepreneurship. This stop presents ideas for increasing competitiveness through innovation and putting Bulgaria on the map of the economy of the future, which is green and digital.
- Municipalities Stop - dedicated to the role of green innovation in the development of our regions. This stop presents ideas for the prosperity of municipalities through the development of clean and accessible energy, the protection of water resources, and the improvement of management structures in municipalities.
- Finance Stop - dedicated to targeted financial instruments, attracting businesses to co-finance the green transformation and financing green startups. This stop presents ideas on how the state and municipalities can attract investors, as well as how to support young entrepreneurs in their growth here in Bulgaria.
Read the full report "Mission Green Innovation: A Prosperity Compass" here in English.
Why is this topic important?
During the roundtable discussion "Mission Green Innovation: Opportunities for Bulgaria's Development," main ideas from Compass were presented, and key challenges facing Bulgaria in terms of green innovation development were discussed, including how to explain to municipalities, businesses, and society the benefits that eco-innovations bring to our prosperity and well-being. The forum also discussed the links between green innovation and economic development, including how to connect young entrepreneurs and big business in order to implement green innovation, as well as what measures should be taken to support startups creating world-class eco-innovations in Bulgaria. Among the topics discussed were the implementation of measures to support municipalities, which are responsible for implementing a large part of climate policies and measures.
The forum included two panel discussions. The first, entitled "Mission Green Innovation: Opportunities for Competitiveness on a National Level," featured Bogdan Bogdanov, MP from PP-DB, Minister of Economy and Industry (2023-2024), Executive Director of the Bulgarian Investment Agency (2022-2023); Vladimir Danailov, Member of Parliament from GERB-SDS in the 49th National Assembly (2023-2024), Executive Director of the Fund of Funds (2020-2021), Deputy Mayor for Digitalization, Innovation, and Economic Development at Sofia Municipality (2020), and Executive Director of the Sofia Investment Agency (2016-2020); Irina Ilieva, Chief Operating Officer of JA Bulgaria, EIT Community Officer for Bulgaria; and Radoslava Maslarska, Chair of the Management Board of the Bulgarian Association of Licensed Investment Intermediaries (BALII), Chair of the Board of Directors of Elana Trading.
From left to right: Sasha Bezuhanova, Vladimir Danailov, Radoslava Maslarska, Bogdan Bogdanov, and Irina Ilieva.
The second panel, "Mission Green Innovations: Opportunities for Competitiveness on a Municipal Level," included Nadia Dankinova, Executive Director of the FLAG Fund; Yana Docheva, Head of the Municipal Strategic Development Team at the National Association of Municipalities; Lyubo Georgiev, Head of the Sofia Team; and Georgi Stefanov, Climate and Energy Expert, Member of the Board of the Bulgarian Geothermal Energy Association.
From left to right: Sasha Bezuhanova, Georgi Stefanov, Yana Docheva, Lyubo Georgiev, and Nadia Dankinova.
The roundtable discussion "Mission Green Innovations: Opportunities for Bulgaria's Development" was held with the support of Rezolv Energy. View the album from the event here.
Watch the full recording of the round table here in the Bulgarian language.
The report and roundtable discussion are part of Mission Green Innovation, an initiative by MOVE.BG in support of green innovators in Bulgaria. At MOVE.BG, we know that Bulgaria has the potential to be among the green and innovative leaders in Europe. That is why it is important to support the creators of new solutions that can change the face of the Bulgarian economy from a resource-based to a value-based one.
Learn about the various initiatives of MOVE.BG in support of green and innovative development in Bulgaria here in English and here in Bulgarian.
