• After Minister Manol Genov announced stricter control over air quality in Veliko Tarnovo, the Regional Inspectorate for Environment and Water sealed the line without a work permit.

Due to violations of environmental legislation, today the control bodies of the Ministry of Environment and Water stopped a facility of Kronospan Bulgaria EOOD in Veliko Tarnovo.

By order, the Director of the Regional Inspectorate for Environment and Water (RIEW) - Veliko Tarnovo Stanislav Stanchev imposed a compulsory administrative measure to stop the production activity of a line for cutting pads. Immediately afterwards, the experts from the inspection carried out an extraordinary inspection of the installation for the production of wood-based panels and sealed the air supply valve to the line. Kronospan Bulgaria EOOD - Burgas is an operator with a complex permit No. 570-N0/2018, issued by the Executive Environment Agency (EEA) at the Ministry of Environment and Water, and the measure was imposed for a line at the production site in Veliko Tarnovo in the Cholakovtsi district.

The measures were taken after yesterday's visit of the Minister of Environment and Water Manol Genov to Veliko Tarnovo. At a working meeting before the mayor of the municipality Daniel Panov, the regional government, members of parliament and municipal councilors, he committed the Ministry of Environment, Regional Inspectorate for Environment and Water (RIEW) and the Executive Environment Agency (EEA) to fulfill the requirements of the law as soon as possible, so as to guarantee a healthy living environment. The aim of the imposed measure is to prevent air pollution and the harmful impact of emissions from this activity on the health of citizens.

The decision of the RIEW follows inspections, which established that the company's activities did not comply with the conditions of the complex permit.

The operator's violations consist in the fact that an "emission source" is operating on the site, which "is not permitted for operation, accordingly, there is no monitoring of emissions, there are no parameters and standards for its measurement". The company was given a prescription to notify the competent authority – the Environmental Protection Agency, to update the complex permit, so that the line is included in it in accordance with the requirements of the Environmental Protection Act. So far, the prescription has not been fulfilled.

It is evident that the environmental control authority has taken procedural actions by using the other forms of administrative coercion provided for in the law – issuing mandatory prescriptions, which have clearly not achieved the prevention goals. Therefore, the Regional Inspectorate for Environment and Water – Veliko Tarnovo today proceeded to impose the compulsory administrative measure, because the operation of the emission source, which is not permitted, can only be stopped by stopping the relevant mat cutting line. Its activity has been suspended until the complex permit is updated.