The revised National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP) is a step forward in the right direction. The Plan has a better overall macroeconomic rationale. The focus on innovation and energy transition has been strengthened, with additional emphasis on renewable energy sources (RES). The internal coherence of the document and its links with national and European policies have been improved and some incoherent project proposals have been removed. However, the strategy document reiterates many of the governance deficits that have hampered the country's low carbon transition. Bulgaria's energy and climate policies need a much clearer long-term vision to enforce key reforms related to coal and gas phase-out, and measures to restore the rule of law. The Bulgarian government should make further efforts to improve the Plan so that it becomes an effective tool, and catch up with other European countries in the process of economic transformation and transition to a zero carbon future. Despite the positive steps to improve the investment environment for renewable energy, there is a high risk that the Plan will not be approved by the European Commission due to the unresolved contradictions between the EU's long-term energy and climate strategy, and that of Bulgaria.
