site.btaBulgaria Faces EUR 2.5 Mln Fine for Failure to Transpose Renewable Energy Directive

Bulgaria is facing a fine of nearly EUR 2.5 million for the time during which a 2018 European directive related to renewable energy projects failed to be transposed, Energy Minister Zhecho Stankov said on Wednesday during a meeting of the parliamentary energy committee, which discussed and voted on second reading amendments to the Renewable Energy Act, submitted by Delyan Dobrev, Pavela Mitova and Krasen Krastev.

According to the Minister, before Easter or shortly afterwards, the European Court of Justice is expected to issue a judgement against Bulgaria due to the fact that for over three years the directive has not been implemented in Bulgarian legislation. This will result in a daily penalty of EUR 9,720.

Stankov said that all the texts in the bill are fully in line with national law and transpose only European legislation in relation to directives from 2018 and 2023. With regards to one of them Bulgaria is already on the verge of a judgment, and to the second - also with delayed transposition – an infringement procedure has been initiated by the European Commission. “We have done everything necessary to transpose the texts,” the Minister assured.

Directive (EU) 2023/2413 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 October 2023 amends Directive (EU) 2018/2001 to simplify and speed up authorization procedures for renewable energy projects. The aim is to facilitate and speed up the deployment of such projects by introducing  time limits for the procedures, strengthening the role of the points of single contact and adopting a presumption that such projects are of overriding public interest.

On March 26, the energy committee in Parliament adopted a bill amending the Renewable Energy Act, submitted by Delyan Dobrev and a group of MPs.