site.btaEuropean Commission to Finance Four Clean Transition Projects in Bulgaria

The European Commission said on Monday that it had allocated funding for 132 new projects for environment and climate action across the EU, including four projects for Bulgaria on grants exceeding EUR 14 million in aggregate.

One of these projects seeks to reduce the mortality risk of globally endangered birds from overhead power lines. Run by grid operator Elektrorazpredelenie Yug EAD of Plovdiv (South Central Bulgaria), the project will retro-insulate electricity pylons and instal bird diverters to protect endangered Eastern Imperial eagles and Egyptian vultures along migratory flyways and to improve the reliability and stability of power distribution. Electricity distributors across eastern Europe will be encouraged to adopt similar solutions. The EU will contribute slightly under EUR 8.5 million of the EUR 11.3 million total cost.

Another project is intended to conserve stone crayfish by connecting 26 ha of their habitats across six Natura 2000 sites in Bulgaria, removing barriers, restoring river-bank forests and restocking rivers with juveniles reared in captivity. The EUR 5.2 million project (in which the EU will share by EUR 3.9 million) will be coordinated by Sofia-based Fortis Vizio.

In the third project, Bulgaria, represented by the non-governmental Black Sea Energy Research Centre, acts as both a pioneer in developing an energy community framework and a pilot site for citizens-led thermal renewable project and vulnerable consumer engagement. Austria serves as the primary capacity-building partner. The project focuses on Cyprus, Romania, North Macedonia, and Ukraine, integrating decision-making support tools to drive collective action growth. The cost totals  EUR 757,600, including an EU contribution of EUR 719,700.

The team of the fourth project will roll out the European Energy Award in Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, Slovenia, North Macedonia and Ukraine, equipping 30 municipalities to implement energy transition plans. Over 300 municipal experts will be trained, 30 clean energy action plans will be established, and investment concepts will be developed. The coordinating beneficiary of this project titled Local Energy and Environment Action Networks for Clean Energy Transition in Central and Southeast Europe (LEEAN-CET). It will be coordinated by the Center for Energy Efficiency Foundation (EnEffect) and has total eligible budget of nearly EUR 1.6 million, of which slightly over EUR 1.5 will come from the EU.

The projects are financed by the EU's funding instrument for the environment and climate action called LIFE Programme (from the French acronym  L’Instrument Financier pour l’Environnement), which is instrumental in the Union's transition to a clean, circular and resilient economy, helps safeguard and restore the EU's biodiversity, supports industrial competitiveness, and contributes to the EU's long-term goal of becoming climate-neutral by 2050. The approved projects aim to improve quality of life and  strengthen climate resilience and mitigation efforts, the Commission specified.