Bulgaria signed the Paris Agreement on climate change

President Rosen Plevneliev signed, on behalf of the Republic of Bulgaria, the Paris Agreement of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. The official ceremony took place in the UN General Assembly Hall in New York on 22 April, when 175 countries affixed their signatures to this “historic” document. In his speech, the Bulgarian Head of State called on those present for the prompt ratification and implementation of the Agreement.

A total of 175 countries signed the Paris Climate Agreement. “Never before has an international agreement been signed by so many countries in a single day. This is a historic moment for future generations, because we are now putting an end to the era of ‘consumption without consequences’. The signing of the climate change agreement, together with the UN poverty reduction agenda, can change the world into a better place to live,” UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon stressed at the opening of the meeting. Fifteen of the signatory countries, most of which are small island states, immediately ratified the Agreement aimed at slowing climate change. However, it will enter into force only after it has been ratified by 55 countries responsible for at least 55 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions.

French President François Hollande was the first to sign the document and expressed his hope that the pact would be ratified by the European Union by the end of the year. In his address at the signing ceremony, he recalled that the past months had been among the warmest in recent years. “In this regard, the Agreement on Climate Change is more than urgent,” François Hollande emphasized.

President Rosen Plevneliev signed the Paris Agreement on behalf of the Republic of Bulgaria and expressed his pride in this fact: “I am proud that, as a representative of Bulgaria, I affixed my signature to a document that outlines the future of the planet until the end of the 21st century. Four years ago, we set out on this path, we defined meaningful priorities and, a few years later, the world embraced them. We can be proud of this.” Our country is one of the few that has its own Climate Change Mitigation Act, which is implemented through the Third National Climate Change Action Plan – a comprehensive national programme for achieving a transition to a low-carbon economy and efficient use of resources by 2020. A National Adaptation Strategy and an Action Plan for its implementation for the period up to 2030 are also currently being prepared. A new Energy Strategy up to 2030 is being developed as well, to ensure a successful transition to “clean” technologies. As an EU Member State, our country has a legally binding commitment by 2030 to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 40% compared to 1990 levels. “The achievement of this target will put us on the path to attaining the long-term goal of a carbon-neutral economy,” the Head of State declared.

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