Minister of Environment and Water Julian Popov met with representatives of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) in Bulgaria. Among the topics discussed were the announcement of new protected areas and the idea of creating a public register of renewable energy projects (RES).

Regarding the idea of creating a public register of implemented RES projects, as well as those under discussion, Minister Popov said that the initiative is of great importance because these projects “carry potential risks”. “A register of RES projects is needed – not only those that have been built, but also those that have been approved, have a permit but have not been built, as well as those in progress”, said Katerina Rakovska, Policy and Biodiversity Expert at the fund.

“One of the main benefits of the existence of such a public register would be the possibility to facilitate the assessment of the cumulative effect during environmental procedures”, said Popov. He noted that it is necessary to discuss which institution should administer such a register, because more than one ministry or department is involved in the process. According to Minister Popov, it is important for any new system to integrate information from existing ones, otherwise it would be useless. And he welcomed the idea in the context of the MOEW initiative for open data in the environment sector.

During the meeting, Deputy Minister Malina Krumova reminded that new protected areas are a priority for the MOEW. Currently, discussions and preparations are underway for the declaration of three new protected areas - "Todorini Kukli", "Malak Kom", and "Dupkata".

Regarding the protection of territories, zones and natural formations, such as dunes, for example, Popov appealed to the non-governmental sector to support actions and initiatives that the ministry is taking in accordance with the Biodiversity Act and the Protected Areas Act.

In the meetings Julian Popov holds as Caretaker Minister of Environment and Water, he is guided by the belief that the non-governmental sector is a natural partner of the state in environmental policies.