Bulgaria has called on the European Union to review the effect of carbon pricing on energy-intensive industries while accelerating investment in electricity networks, energy storage and digital infrastructure.
Speaking at an informal meeting of the EU Competitiveness Council in Dublin, Deputy Minister of Economy, Investment and Industry Krasimir Yakimov said the European Commission should conduct a broad assessment of the EU Emissions Trading System and its impact on industrial competitiveness.
Bulgaria’s position reflects growing concern among coal-dependent and manufacturing-oriented EU economies that carbon costs are rising faster than the infrastructure needed to support industrial decarbonisation. High EUA prices can encourage investment in cleaner production, but their effect becomes more difficult to absorb when companies lack access to competitive low-carbon electricity, grid connections or sufficient system flexibility.
Yakimov proposed that electricity networks should receive the status of infrastructure of primary economic importance. Such treatment could support faster permitting and investment approval for transmission, distribution and storage projects, reducing one of the main bottlenecks affecting renewable generation and industrial electrification.
The Bulgarian proposal places grid investment alongside carbon pricing rather than treating the two as separate policy areas. A stronger network would allow greater use of renewable electricity, reduce congestion and support electrification of industrial heat and production processes. Storage and demand-side flexibility would also help industrial users manage exposure to volatile hourly electricity prices.
Bulgaria argued that climate policy should strengthen the European industrial base rather than contribute to the migration of energy-intensive production outside the EU. The transition therefore needs a predictable regulatory framework, better access to finance and clearer support for energy efficiency, electrification and flexibility investments.
The position is particularly relevant for metals, chemicals, fertilisers, cement and other industries exposed to both EU ETS costs and international competition. These sectors will increasingly depend on long-term electricity procurement, grid-access certainty and credible decarbonisation plans as CBAM moves deeper into its definitive financial phase.
