The Ninth Session of the Meeting of the Parties to the Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment in a Transboundary Context (Espoo Convention) and the Fifth Session of the Meeting of the Parties to its Protocol on Strategic Environmental Assessment were held in Geneva from 12 to 15 December 2023. The Bulgarian delegation led by Mr. Julian Popov, Minister of Environment and Water of the Republic of Bulgaria, and Mr. Rumen Radev, Minister of Energy of the Republic of Bulgaria, took an active part in the two events.

Minister Popov and Minister Radev participated in the High-Level Segment, which took place on 14 and 15 December 2023. Minister Popov was a panelist in a high-level panel "Contribution of the Espoo Convention and its Protocol on the Energy Transition, Circular Economy and Green Finance ". In his speech, Minister Popov emphasized that the new Bulgarian government is united around the principles of transparency and the rule of law and is actively working to implement a sustainable industrial and energy transition. He focused on Bulgaria's historic participation in the UN Climate Change Conference in 2023 in Dubai (COP28) with an impressive delegation and a Bulgarian pavilion (for the first time in the history of the UN Climate Change Conference).

Minister Popov and Minister Radev held a meeting with Ms. Tatyana Molcean, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), during which they paid special attention to the opportunities for strengthening cooperation between Bulgaria and UNECE in the field of energy and environmental protection. Minister Popov pointed out that Bulgaria, together with Finland and Germany, is the co-chair of Working Group No. 8 "Environmental Security" of the "Peace Formula" of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.