"The challenges facing the water sector cannot wait - strategic partnership and immediate action are needed," said the Deputy Minister of Environment and Water Atanas Kostadinov today during a national discussion forum organized by the Bulgarian Water Association. The event brought together experts, institutions and representatives of the sector in search of concrete solutions for sustainable management of water resources.

An integrated approach to water management has not been developed in Bulgaria, Deputy Minister Kostadinov told the forum participants. "We are very far away from this approach and there is much to be desired in terms of integrated water use, including clear regulation regarding ownership, purpose, and management," he said. According to him, it is particularly important to strengthen cooperation between the Ministry of Environment, the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and all institutions with direct responsibility in the sector, because the country cannot boast of great successes not only in transposing, but also in implementing, conducting, controlling and, implementing water policy.

According to him, Bulgaria has not yet been able to fulfill the tasks set by the Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive, given that the package of new directives and, above all, the Water Sustainability Strategy set new serious conditions in the water sector with a horizon until 2050. Part of them is the requirement to reduce water losses within the European Union by at least 10 percent by the end of this decade. Deputy Minister Kostadinov defined this goal as ambitious, but also achievable.

According to Atanas Kostadinov, the problems in the water sector can no longer be simply analyzed – there is no time for postponement, and actions must be immediate and coordinated. "We can no longer have the state transpose the directives alone. A joint approach is needed with the real participants in the sector - stakeholders, institutions, experts, and citizens," he said. According to him, this cooperative approach can show that Bulgaria is also capable of providing effective solutions.

Deputy Minister Kostadinov expressed support for the approach proposed by the Bulgarian Water Association with legislative proposals for the transposition of the Wastewater Treatment Directive, the in-depth look at the assessment, analysis, and strategic planning in the sector and opportunities for using technical assistance from the European Commission to finance priority measures.

In response, Ivan Ivanov, Chairman of the Bulgarian Water Association (BWA) and moderator of the forum, pointed out that a constructive dialogue must take place before we start the transposition of the new Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive. “It must include all the requirements, including our obligations to the current directives with the hope that the water sector will manage to get out of the role of the ‘schoolboy’,” said Ivanov.

“The forum is the beginning of a deeper conversation. We have a road ahead of us – probably not an easy one – but with this approach I see a new understanding of the role of all participants in the sector,” said Atanas Kostadinov, expressing confidence in the effective dialogue and the upcoming real actions.

Iliyana Todorova, Director of the Water Management Directorate at the Ministry of Environment and Water, also took part in the open discussion. “Of particular importance to us are the projects related to the transposition of the revised Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive, as well as the development of water reuse solutions. Both projects are of strategic importance in the context of implementing European commitments and sustainable management of water resources,” she said, expressing confidence that with coordinated efforts these initiatives can contribute to real improvements in the sector.

The forum was also attended by the Chairman of the Union of Water and Sewerage Operators in the Republic of Bulgaria, a representative of Water Supply and Sewerage Holding, as well as the Director of the Water Supply and Sewerage Services Directorate at the Energy and Water Regulatory Commission. The event was held in the Central Building of the Federation of Scientific and Technical Unions in Bulgaria.