The new European directive banning single-use plastic products is expected to enter into force in early September. The document will be published for public discussion in the beginning of July and is expected to be submitted to the Council of Ministers by the end of August. This was stated by Reneta Koleva, Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Environment and Water on the TV show “Business Start” hosted by Hristo Nikolov.

“The main objective of the directive is to introduce measures to reduce plastic products. 86% of beach waste in the EU is disposable plastic products, causing serious damage to the environment. We set measures for sustainable reduction of the use of certain plastic products, such as disposable utensils, food containers, straws. It is planned to introduce additional fees on certain plastic products, such as cups, caps, plastic bags.”

In Bulgaria, the directive was planned to enter into force on July 3rd.

“The delay is due to facts beyond the national level. A week ago, the European Commission published additional documents on the scope of banned products. We will not manage until July 3rd, but the ordinance has been drafted and the internal coordination is currently to start.”

“We organized a number of meetings with NGOs and branch organizations, with which we discussed the changes that will be introduced,” added Reneta Koleva.

The Deputy Minister thinks that the business should reorient to eco products that are recyclable and reusable.

The guest explained that in Bulgaria such plastic products are produced by about 50-60 companies, mostly small and medium enterprises. Inevitably, the entry into force of the new regulations will impact on the business.

“It is important to note that we do not ban the use of plastic cups. The idea is to limit their use by imposing an additional product fee for the manufacturer. The customer will pay an additional fee when purchasing this product. It should enter into force in 2025.”

Another topic was the problems in the Ministry of Environment and Water.

“In the Waste Management Directorate we had problems with delays in notifications for import and export of waste. Our goal is to speed up the process of issuing those notifications. A meeting of the commission is forthcoming to consider the new proposals, so that the business will not be hindered in its commercial activity. "

See the whole conversation in the video.

You can view all guests in the show “Business Start” here.