DECARBONIZATION AND JUST TRANSITION: SOCIO-SPATIAL CHALLENGES IN BULGARIA'S COAL REGIONS
Author: Daniel Petrov (Institute of Agrarian Economics)
Keywords: just transition, political ecology, coal phase-out, environmental justice, Bulgaria, EU, Green Deal
This paper analyzes the process of phasing out coal energy in Bulgaria in the context of the European Green Deal, applying the lens of political ecology to examine the structural inequalities and conflictual governance that accompany the energy transition. The study combines a critical analysis of strategic policies with empirical data from field research conducted among 78 respondents in the three most affected coal-dependent regions. The results reveal widespread distrust in institutions, perceptions of procedural injustice, and a sense of social and territorial exclusion. Although national and European strategic frameworks emphasize green modernization and economic diversification, local communities perceive the transition as externally imposed and socially destabilizing. The article critically assesses the technocratic and investor-oriented logic embedded in the Recovery and Resilience Plan and the Territorial Just Transition Plans, highlighting their limited capacity to address material insecurity, deficits of democratic participation, and accumulated social inequalities. In conclusion, it argues for the need to rethink the governance of the energy transition toward a more just model—one that involves not only redistribution of resources but also of power, recognition, and political participation for all affected actors and communities.
