The Green Deal is how we will become more energy independent.

By building renewable energy sources, Europe will be stronger and able to abstract itself from geopolitical conflicts.

This was stated in "The Day Begins" by Atanas Pekanov, the Deputy Prime Minister for the management of European funds

Atanas Pekanov is an economist at the Austrian Institute for Economic Research (WIFO), in Vienna.

The first funds under the recovery and resilience plan are expected in the fall.

"At the end of the month, we will submit the first request for payment. According to it, 21 out of 22 conditions were fulfilled. We are actively working to accept the last project, which was not fulfilled. The MIA is moving this project as a matter of urgency. After that, a period of 2 month, in which the EC will consider everything we have presented," said Pekanov.

However, the second payment concerns 66 measures, of which 22 require legislative changes.

These changes will be prepared by the interim government to help the next parliament, commented the deputy prime minister.

He criticized the decision of the previous parliament for compensations of 100%, per kalpak.

Now is no longer the time for such blanket measures.

Such should have been done in the first months of the pandemic, when we had to act quickly to give security to businesses.

All European countries are currently trying to stimulate savings so that companies can adapt to this new situation," said Pekanov.

In his words, this does not sound good for business, but in the end it is the responsibility of every cabinet to be sparing with the budget.

The good option is to give aid to those businesses that need it, and not to all, added Pekanov.

According to him, there are better opportunities for optimization, but they will implement the compensation program.

There should be aid for consumers this winter, people are suffering from the increase in prices, the deputy prime minister added.

The recovery plan is to adopt the energy poverty criterion to help those in need.

"This is a topic that has been discussed for many years, there is a working group. The Ministry of Labor and Social Policy also has its own view on this matter. In the coming weeks, we will clarify the definition and be able to present it," said Pekanov.

Atanas Pekanov