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Statement from CoR President Kata Tüttő on her visit to Bulgaria

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President Kata Tüttö at the Green Transition Forum in Sofia
© European Union / Cristina Riveiro McClelland

CoR President Kata Tüttő visited Sofia (Bulgaria) this week to participate at the Green Transition Forum 5.0. The Forum is the largest and most influential platform in Central-Eastern Europe for discussing the European Green Deal, bringing together global leaders and influential voices in sustainability, with more than 350 speakers from 30 countries and over 5,000 participants.

President Tüttő said: “We are living through unprecedented times when many crises are coming together, including the increasing impact of the climate crisis and wars at our borders. Our citizens are feeling the effects and the uncertainty. This is why local and regional leaders must have a seat at the table: because we need all the ideas, innovation, and energy that we can find to address all these crises.

In a volatile international context, the transition to net-zero is also essential to ensure Europe’s energy resilience. Creating a strong EU energy system also means strengthening our cohesion and be better prepared.

In Sofia, the Green Transition Forum does exactly this: it brings together politicians from all levels of government, industries and key stakeholders to find common solutions to these crises. It was a pleasure to exchange with all the participants. I discussed the future of the EU budget with the Bulgarian Minister dealing with Cohesion Policy: we agree on a common path for the future of Cohesion, one where we maintain the flexibility that our times require and tailored to the needs of our territories. Investing in local and regional economies centred on citizens wellbeing will create long-term job opportunities allowing all Europeans to benefit from the freedom to stay in their communities, but also cities and regions to play their important role as 'stabilizers' in a fast-changing global context.

We must protect and invest in our diversity, and this means working together from local and regional levels to the European level to create a safe and liveable Europe. In this regard, I am inspired by the innovative ideas of the Mayor of Sofia to transform the city into a more sustainable and attractive place, with many projects on how to make people feel closer to politics."

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At the Green Transition Forum 5.0, the CoR President Kata Tüttő participated in a high-level panel “Sustainable Development of the Regions. Carbon-neutral and Smart Cities: from Vision to Reality” which was composed by:

  • Ivan Ivanov, Minister of Regional Development and Public Works, Bulgaria
  • Vassil Terziev, Mayor of Sofia
  • Konstantinos Gioulekas, Greek Deputy Minister of the Interior, sector of Macedonia and Thrace
  • Andriana Sukova, Deputy Director-General, DG Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion
  • Dominik Jarmer, Managing Director, EVN Bulgaria
  • Hans Rhein, Head of LIFE Unit, CINEA
  • Dragomir Tsanev, CEO, Center for Energy Efficiency EnEffect

On the sidelines of the Green Transition Forum, President Tüttő attended a dinner with the President of Bulgaria HE Rumen Radev, and 2024 Nobel Prize winner for economics Prof. Daron Acemoglu.

The CoR President also held bilateral meetings with Ivan Ivanov, Minister of Regional Development and Public Works of Bulgaria, and Mayor of Sofia Vassil Terziev.