On the 28th of June 2021, the Council of the EU voted the final approval of the Climate Law, which is the main legal act of the European Green Pact and establishes a higher binding target to reduce CO2 emissions with 55% by 2030 compared to 1990 and make the European economy carbon neutral by 2050.

From 2030 and onwards, CO2 emissions from new light-duty vehicles need to be on average 31% lower than in 2021.

In support of the above mentioned, Bulgaria is developing the “National Air Quality Improvement Program 2018-2024″ under the existing National Emission Reduction Regulation from 2019.

According to the document, most of the emissions come from pre-Euro and Euro 1 diesel vehicles, which account for around 45% of transport sector emissions, while diesel vehicles alone account for around 80% of total FPM (fine particulate matter) emissions in the transport sector.

Low Emission Zones (LEZs) will therefore be introduced, restricting the entry of pre-Euro and Euro 1 diesel vehicles into city centers.