“750 million BGN are set aside for air quality improvement for the next programming period (2021 - 2027) under the Operational Program ‘Environment’,” said Deputy Prime Minister for Climate Policy and Minister of Environment and Water Borislav Sandov at Friday’s parliamentary control. He answered an inquiry by MP Stefan Shilev from “GERB-UDF” about the regulatory gaps that make it difficult to meet air quality requirements.

Minister Sandov pointed out that for the first time the government sets aside national funds for air quality improvement in the amount of 77 million BGN. “Under a new mechanism, which is expected to start operation soon, we foresee the provision of 47 million BGN. In the Budget for 2022 there will be an additional 30 million through the Enterprise for Management of Environmental Protection Activities (EMEPA),” he explained and pointed out that projects are still being implemented under the Operational Program “Environment 2014 – 2020” in the amount of 122 million BGN for the replacement of domestic heating and development of municipal programs, as well as for public transport in the amount of 500 million BGN.

Minister Sandov explained that the Bulgarian legislation is synchronized with European, but there are infringement procedures against our country for non-compliance with the relevant requirements. “Following the expected negative decision by the court in Luxembourg, local authorities will have to take more decisive measures,” the Minister said in Parliament. He pointed out that local authorities could introduce measures to limit the use of certain fuels or heating appliances and create low-emission zones as another option to limit emissions of fine particulate matter (PM). He noted that he is in communication with the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy for the termination of energy subsidies in the form of coal and wood, because exceeding PM norms is mainly due to domestic heating and transport. Minister Sandov clarified that it is not a matter of stopping the aid for domestic heating altogether, but of replacing it with support for electricity and other means, which is a subject for additional discussions. He noted that industrial and quarrying activities also contribute to deteriorating air quality. According to him, there is also transborder pollution – a natural occurring transfer of PM to Bulgaria from neighboring countries.

In response to a question by Dani Kanazireva, MP from GERB-UDF, about the termination of quarrying in the village of Belashtitsa, Rhodope municipality, the Minister said that the concession agreement for one of the two concessions for extraction of mineral resources has expired last year and the other expires next week. During an on-site inspection the day before, Minister Sandov found that the quarry was working and extracting material, although the concession had expired. He met with representatives of the initiative committee “Stop the Quarry in Belashtitsa” in Plovdiv. Sandov added that a new director of the Basin Directorate-Plovdiv has been appointed and one of his first tasks is to review the sanitary protection zones for the village of Belashtitsa in order to establish a deterrent condition for any quarry activities that fall within these zones.

Minister Sandov answered a question by MPs Zornitsa Stratieva from “Democratic Bulgaria” and Alexander Dunchev from “We Continue the Change” on the shooting of wild goats in the Central Balkan National Park at the end of October last year. It became clear from his words that the prosecutor’s office has not yet completed the investigation. “What is the pleasure of going by helicopter to a national park and shooting animals and then taking trophies? This I don't understand,” commented the Minister. He sought support by parliament for increasing the salaries of national park rangers.

In response to a question by MP Vladislav Panev from “Democratic Bulgaria”, Minister Sandov said: “No Environmental Protection Program for the Municipality of Shumen has been provided to RIEW - Shumen in accord with the provisions of the Environmental Protection Act. There is also no municipal waste management program.” The Minister pointed out that municipal waste programs, which are an integral part of local government programs for environmental protection, are one of the most important tools for implementing environmental legislation at the local level. The last municipal program for waste management of Shumen municipality was for the period 2015-2020.

Minister Sandov answered a question by MP Zornitsa Stratieva about the findings for an illegal landfill in the land of the village of Buntsevo, municipality of Yakoruda. The inspection carried out by RIEW-Blagoevgrad established that the claims by the mayor of Yakoruda Municipality for lack of illegal landfill on that land do not correspond to the findings of the inspection.

In response to a question from MP Victoria Vasileva from “There is such a people” for an unregulated landfill in the area “Vzrivnite Skladove”, Radomir municipality, Minister Sandov noted that the inspection identified an unregulated landfill, for which a prescription was issued to the mayor of Radomir that “the landfill should be cleaned by February 25, 2022. “If the municipality does not clean a landfill, it encourages people to throw waste there,” the minister stressed. According to him, in some cases the municipalities themselves take similar actions in order to reduce fees for waste deposition in regional landfills and to cut on transportation costs, but this is within the competence of the investigating authorities to establish.