The draft of the new Energy Efficiency Act fully transposes the EU legislation in this area

The draft of the new Energy Efficiency Act fully transposes into national law the requirements of Directive 2012/27/EC on energy efficiency. The draft is expected to be submitted to the National Assembly by the end of January. Throughout its adoption Bulgaria will fully implement its obligations in this area as a member of the EU.

As already known, the EC announced that two infringement proceedings against Bulgaria were opened, one of which is related to the energy efficiency.

With a letter of formal notice issued by the the Commission in July 2014, Bulgaria was advised of a failure to fulfill its obligations to notify national measures transposing Directive 2012/27/EC. Thus, a new Energy Efficiency Act was drafted, which went through a process of public consultation and interdepartmental coordination, but was not passed due to the resignation of the Oresharski Government. Now, following a minor editorial changes required by changes in the structure of government, the draft will be put back on interdepartmental coordination and submitted to the National Assembly.

The development of an entirely new law was imposed due to the fact that Directive 2012/27/EC introduces a radically new approach to promote energy efficiency, importing legally binding measures to encourage member states to focus on more efficient use of energy at all stages of the energy chain - from the transformation of energy, its transmission and distribution to final consumption.