The MOEW seeks financial solutions for priority activities that failed to find implementation in the preceding period

15 Sep, 2021 | 11:16

In a letter to the Minister of Finance, the Ministry of Environment and Water sent several proposals for amendments to the 2021 budget of the ministry to be included in the update of the Act for the 2021 State Budget of the Republic of Bulgaria. The purpose of the proposed amendments is to overcome the drawbacks from unimplemented activities in the proceeding period of the previous management in the environmental sector. The proposals comprise of the following:

 

- The expenditures under the budget of the Ministry to be increased by 324,400 BGN, which will finance activities for the maintenance of the National Automated System for Continuous Control of the Gamma Radiation Background; radiation monitoring of waters; performing radiological monitoring and reporting of results to the European Commission; preparation of a methodology for determining the exceedances of the limit values of PM10 caused by emissions from natural sources - desert dust;

 

- The reserved funds in the amount of 2,231,200 BGN as of 30.06.2021 under the budget of the Ministry of Environment and Water to be available for use for activities within the functional competence of the Ministry before 01.12.2021, because given the value of the expenditures those would be impossible to use effectively after 01.12.2021 due to the lack of sufficient time to conduct public procurements, conclude contracts, and respectively perform the specific services and supplies;

 

- The planned transfer to EMEPA for 2021 in the amount of 40,150,000 BGN to be increased by 25,000,000 BGN (as of 31.08.2021 revenues have been collected in the MOEW budget under the Water Act in favor of the enterprise in the amount of 22.3 million BGN, which, according to the current legislation, cannot be transferred to the enterprise in any other manner);

 

- The reserved funds as of 30.06.2021 under the budget of the Ministry of Environment and Water in the amount of 1,473,809 BGN to be provided to the EMEPA, the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, and the National Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology, whose obligations under the Water Act are financed programmatically through targeted transfers from the MOEW. This discharge of the reserved funds will secure the full implementation of the planned activities under 2021 agreements;

 

- Additional expenditures for 2021 to be planned under the central budget, which, if necessary, to be made available to the budget of the Ministry of Environment and Water in the total amount of up to 9,602,397.10 BGN for payment of court compensations in case of finalization in 2021 of administrative proceedings to which the MOEW is a party.

 

These amendment proposals to the 2021 budget of the Ministry are linked to the implementation of priority objectives for the environmental policy.

 

After the promulgation of the Law for Amendment and Supplementation of the Act for the 2021 State Budget of the Republic of Bulgaria it will be clear which of the proposals by the MOEW were deemed feasible and in what order and whether it would be necessary to look for alternative solutions.