January 12 (SeeNews) - About 70% of companies in Bulgaria take action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, being the lowest share among countries in Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe (CESEE), according to a survey by the European Investment Bank (EIB).
Across the region, almost 90% of firms take actions in order to decrease greenhouse gas emission, the EIB Investment Survey 2022, which was published on Wednesday, showed.
Most active were companies in Romania and Poland, with shares of 93% and 90%, respectively.
In CESEE, Lithuania has the highest share of firms who have already invested and also plan to invest in tackling climate change in the next three years, followed by Romania and Slovenia. In contrast, Croatia and Bulgaria have the lowest share of firms reporting investment.
With 26%, Bulgaria also has the lowest proportion of firms setting and monitoring targets for their own greenhouse gas emissions. The highest share of 47% is seen in Romania.
According to the survey, overall investment had recovered least from the COVID-19 pandemic in Bulgaria and Slovakia by mid-2022. Within CESEE, the share of investing firms ranges from 61% in Bulgaria to 90% in Slovenia.
In Bulgaria, 17% of companies expect that sales in 2022 will be below pre-pandemic levels. Across CESEE, most firms, or 59%, expect that 2022 sales will be higher than in 2019.