Leading organizations from the innovative ecosystem and environmentalists have urged the new Bulgarian government to establish a Monitoring Committee to independently oversee the implementation of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP). MOVE.BG-initiated Green Restart Coalition which also includes WWF Bulgaria, “Greenpeace”-Bulgaria, and the “Institute for Circular Economy”, is also part of the initiative.
On January 12 - at the beginning of the year 2022 when the Plan is expected to be approved by the European Commission and to be enacted - four alliances published a special Open Letter to the new Bulgarian government. Along with the Green Restart Coalition, the letter is also signed by “For the Nature in Bulgaria” Coalition, the initiative Green Laws, and “For the Earth” Coalition. During the last, more than 12 months, all these alliances and their members were very active in the process of the public consultation of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan and contributed with ideas and recommendations for the improvement of the NRRP.
Why does Bulgaria need a Monitoring Committee?
An external monitoring mechanism is a key condition for the successful implementation of the reforms and investments in the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, the four alliances in the ad-hoc coalition explain. The Committee should be structured as an independent advisory body in the Council of Ministries and give a voice to stakeholders from all sectors, including representatives of civil society organizations. The body should also oversee the spending of more than EUR 6 billion in additional funding from the European Union that Bulgaria will receive from the “Next Generation EU”.
The four alliances, signed the Open Letter, note that the Regulation (EU) 2021/241 for the establishment of the Recovery and Resilience Facility also mentions similar recommendations.
"For the preparation and, where available, for the implementation of the recovery and resilience plan, a summary of the consultation process, conducted in accordance with the national legal framework, of local and regional authorities, social partners, civil society organisations, youth organisations and other relevant stakeholders, and how the input of the stakeholders is reflected in the recovery and resilience plan," the Regulation reads.
The organizations in the ad-hoc coalition express their readiness to support the structuring of the Monitoring Committee.
“If established in an open and transparent way, such an initiative would ensure the participation of a wide range of social and economic stakeholders and civil society organizations in the monitoring of the implementation of the NRRP - so that recovery is truly green and fair, and contribute to the restoration of biodiversity and nature. This body could also play an advisory role or offer recommendations to existing relevant institutions,” the four alliances explain in the Letter.
Read the full Open Letter here (in the Bulgarian language).
The Green Restart Coalition
For more than a year and a half, MOVE.BG-initiated Green Restart Coalition has actively worked in support of turning the National Recovery and Resilience Plan into a long-term strategy for the sustainable and innovative development of Bulgaria. The Coalition has published several opinion papers and open letters with recommendations for the improvement of the NRRP and has conducted a number of roundtables dedicated to the climate transition and green transformation. Some of our proposals have been included in the latest official version of the Plan.
Learn more about the previous and the current initiatives of the Green Restart Coalition here.
We are making our sustainable and innovative tomorrow together!
