Bulgaria has a chance to host next year’s COP29 events despite the Russian blockade

The other approach, he says, is more liberal and is shared by most countries. The idea is that the main conference, which traditionally gathers around 20 thousand people – negotiating teams from almost 200 countries, as well as several smaller side events will take place in the main host country, and all additional events and conferences before and during the main conference (which number in the hundreds) to be scattered across neighboring countries in the host region.

In both cases, according to Popov, Bulgaria has a high chance of being among the host countries. “From year to year, the COP meetings are getting bigger, difficult to organize and unaffordable funding, that’s why I like the idea of ​​distributing them. I have personally discussed the idea of ​​joint hosting with 6-7 fellow ministers from the region and they are interested” , says Julian Popov. The model is very likely to be adopted not least because the ambiguities surrounding the selection of the host country also shorten the time to prepare the event and it will be a challenge to organize in one country.

If no agreement is reached on where the next conference will be in Eastern Europe, then COP29 is likely to be held in Bonn, where the Secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is located. In Bonn, however, the attitude is to welcome only the negotiating teams for the main conference. The rest of the events will be held in other places, including Bulgaria, and their positions and decisions will ultimately be gathered and discussed in Bonn, explained the Bulgarian Minister of Environment and Water.

How did it get here?

The COP is one of the most significant political and business events in the global calendar and the second largest gathering of state leaders after the UN General Assembly. Such hosting, in addition to image and diplomatic benefits, usually has significant economic benefits for the host countries. The COP household rotates among the five UN regions. Last year’s meeting was held in Africa (Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt), this year’s will be in the Asia-Pacific region (Dubai, UAE), and next year it will be the turn of Central and Eastern Europe, which region also includes Russia. COP30 will be held in South America (Brazil).