Fund FLAG presented the FLAG-FICET project under the LIFE Programme during the Clean Energy Transition Investment Forum 2026 (CETIF 2026), held in Brussels. In the session “Unlocking Investments: Promoting Aggregation and Investment Pipelines”, Iva Petkova from Fund FLAG summarised the results and lessons learned from the successfully implemented LIFE21-CET-PDA-FLAG-FICET project, aimed at accelerating clean energy transition investments in Bulgaria.
As of 30 September 2025, the project successfully achieved its objectives by accelerating the preparation and implementation of clean energy transition investments across the country. As a result of the project, the first dedicated green financial instrument for municipalities and state- and municipally-owned enterprises in Bulgaria was established, combining technical assistance, blended financing, and capacity building for the implementation of clean energy transition projects.
Under the project, 14 municipalities received support for the preparation and implementation of a total of 45 projects across the four target sectors, benefiting from technical assistance provided under FLAG-FICET. The total volume of supported investments exceeds EUR 70 million, of which more than EUR 24 million has been provided by Fund FLAG.
Fund FLAG continues to implement the FLAG-FICET instrument throughout the five-year sustainability period until 2030, ensuring the long-term impact and further scaling-up of the achieved results. The project was also featured as a good practice example in the European Commission publication dedicated to clean energy transition projects – “Giving LIFE to Europe’s Clean Energy Transition”.
CETIF 2026 is organised in collaboration with the European Energy Efficiency Financing Coalition and the EU Covenant of Mayors, building on the successful previous editions of the Covenant of Mayors Investment Forum and the experience of initiatives funded under programmes such as LIFE Clean Energy Transition, ELENA, and InvestEU.
The forum brought together representatives of European institutions, local authorities, businesses, and financial actors to exchange practical solutions for financing the clean energy transition. The main focus was placed on real projects, peer exchange, and actionable follow-up measures to accelerate investments at local level.
Fund FLAG also participated in the second General Assembly of the European Energy Efficiency Financing Coalition, hosted by the European Commissioner for Energy and Housing, Dan Jørgensen. During the discussions, participants emphasised that in the context of the European Commission’s AccelerateEU initiative, published on 22 April, mobilising public resources at both European and national level is essential for attracting greater volumes of private capital for the clean energy transition.
A special highlight was the intervention of renowned explorer and visionary Bertrand Piccard, who stressed that today renewable energy and energy efficiency are not only matters of climate policy, but also of independence, competitiveness, and European sovereignty.
