Climate Policy and Plans for Recovery in Bulgaria and Lithuania

The article analyses the climate policy and activities envisaged by the national recovery and resilience plans of Bulgaria and Lithuania, which aim to contribute to the green transformation and stabilisation of both economies after the economic slowdown as a result of COVID-19. The methodology of the current research is based on literature review and data analysis of the two countries with different economic structures and sizes. The National Recovery and Resilience Plans (NRRP) of both countries are compared through the methodology of Bruegel think tank, as that approach is applied to study the Bulgarian plan, which was finalised on 6 April 2022. The main instrument for recovery is the investment in the green economy, which also allows for reaching the climate neutrality target. Both countries demonstrate a decrease in emissions since 1990, as the GHG emissions per GDP in Bulgaria are more than two times higher than the EU27 average and the Lithuanian emissions, as a result of the energy sector. The countries need further actions for GHG reduction and have therefore allocated significant financial resources to achieve the green recovery measures in their plans.