School of Professional and Continuing Studies

Sofia Business School 2021

MANAGING GLOBAL ECONOMIC RISKS

WINTER EDITION

15 January 2022

The Resource Base of the Climate Transition in the EU

Programme Outline

New Bulgarian University

10:00 – 10:10 Opening

Welcome Аddress

Rector of New Bulgarian University

Ambassador Ilian Vassilev – Co-founder of the Reform Union Club; Programme Director of the Sofia Business School

10:10 - 10:40

Revising the Green Deal Rationale

Keynote Speaker: Samuel Furfari

Prof. Samuel Furfari was a senior official at the Energy Directorate-General of the European Commission between 1982 and 2018, devoting an entire career to energy technology and policy. Since 2003 he is a professor of energy geopolitics and energy politics at the Free University of Brussels. He also lectures at various universities. He is the author of 10 books on energy and sustainable development and many articles. Since 2019 he is President of the European society of engineers and industrialists.

10:40 – 11:10

Should the EU Competition policy pursue Green Deal objectives in addition to combatting market distortions

Keynote Speaker: Christian Hocepied

Christian Hocepied is currently Senior Researcher at the Research Centre in Information, Law and Society (CRIDS) at the University of Namur. His research is focused on the regulatory and competition law dimension of digitization.

Before joining CRIDS, Christian worked as a principal analyst with Cullen International (Brussels), where he designed and launched their new multi-client competition law service. This service provides an overview of all EU and national competition decisions in the eCommunications area.
From 1985 to 2013, Christian Hocepied worked in different capacities for the European Commission: the last 4 years as Principal Expert in the Antitrust Media Unit of DG Competition, before as head of sector in the telecommunications unit of the DG Connect.

11:10 – 11:20

Coffee Break

11:20 – 11:50

Russia’s potential for decreasing its focus on fossil energy: Impact on the EU energy market

Keynote Speaker: Mikhail Krutikhin

Dr. Mikhail Krutikhin is a co-founder and leading analyst of RusEnergy, an independent consulting agency based in Moscow, Russia. Between 1972 and 1992 he worked at the TASS news agency on missions to Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, and Iran. Since 1993 he has been analyzing opportunities and specifics of investments in the energy industry in the ex-USSR — first with the US-based Russian Petroleum Investor Inc., and then with RusEnergy. His current occupation includes academic lecturing and participation in think-tanks, both inside Russia and internationally.

11:50 – 12:20

The green deal and the risk of deepening the East-West division.

Keynote Speaker: Julian Popov

Julian Popov is Chairman of the Board of the European Institute for Building Efficiency, Political Adviser to the European Climate Foundation, former Minister of Environment and Water, one of the founders of the New Bulgarian University, twice ranked by the Brussels agency Euractiv as one of the most influential figures in European energy policy.

12:20 – 12:50

The Green Deal: How the industry copes with its impact on competitiveness

Keynote Speaker: Dimitar Tsotsorkov

Dimitar Tsotsorkov is Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Asarel Medet – the largest and leading Bulgarian mining company for open pit mining and copper ore processing, CEO of Asarel Investment, Co-founder of Lachezar Tsotsorkov Foundation, Chairman of the Board of Reform Union Club.

12:50 – 13:30

Discussion Session

Moderator: Ilian Vassilev

Amb. Ilian Vassilev is Managing Director of Innovative Energy Solutions ( investment and energy strategic and project consultancy); Member of the Board of the Centre for Balkan and Black Sea Studies; Honorary Chair of the Bulgarian Economic Forum; Chair of the Board of Alternatives&Analisis; Co-founder of the Reform Union Club

The event will be held online via ZOOM.

Link: https://nbu-bg.zoom.us/j/84657769876