The European Commission (EC) would propose that the newest EU member states, Bulgaria and Romania, be allowed to increase their greenhouse gas emissions quotas, EuroNews said as reported by mediapool.bg. The decision to allow 20 per cent more greenhouse gas emissions for the period until the year 2020 as compared with the base year 2005 was expected to be announced next week.

This measure was being taken so the economies of the two countries could catch up. The oldest 15 EU member states were going to reduce their own greenhouse gas emissions in order to make up for the increase allowed to Bulgaria and Romania.

The draft decision, however, concerned the 2013-2020 period and not the appealed EC decision to reduce the Bulgaria's greenhouse gas emissions quotas in the national plans for 2007 and for 2008-2012, which Bulgaria appealed, Environment and Water Affairs Ministry expert Stefan Dishovski told Mediapool.

Therefore this decision did not affect Bulgaria's December 2007 claim at the Court of Justice of the European Community for a complete abolition of the EC decision which foresaw a drastic reduction of the country's greenhouse gas emission quotas.

Instead of the requested equivalent of 67 million tons of carbon dioxide, Brussels reduced the amounts to 42 million tons per year for the 2008-2012 period, mediapool.bg said.