The Managing Authority for the Environment Programme 2021-2027 (EMA) held the Ninth Meeting of the program’s Monitoring Committee (MC) online. The host of the working forum was the Minister of Environment and Water and Head of the MA Manol Genov.

“Each of the topics on today meeting’s agenda concerns different measures, the ultimate goal of which is unchanged - for the benefit of society, for the benefit of the environment,” said Minister Manol Genov at the beginning of the Committee meeting.

The proposed amendment to the Indicative Annual Work Programme (IAWP) of the Environment Programme 2021-2027 for 2025 was discussed within the framework of the working forum.

The most significant changes include the addition of a new procedure in connection to the approved amendment to the IAP 2021-2027. (as a result of the mid-term review of implementation under Art. 18 of Regulation (EU) 2021/1060) for the transfer of investment C9.I1 from the National Recovery and Resilience Plan for support through the program. Direct beneficiaries are the water and sanitation operators, and eligible measures constite the construction and reconstruction of water and sanitation infrastructure in agglomerations with between 5 000 p.e. and 10 000 p.e. The implementation of the projects under the procedure will contribute to covering the statutory obligations of the Republic of Bulgaria to achieve compliance of agglomerations with Directive 91/271/EEC. The budget under the procedure is 363.5 million BGN.

With the updated IAWP, the members of the MC approved the inclusion of a procedure under the "Waste" priority for the construction of repair and reuse centers. The indicative budget of the investment is nearly 145 million BGN. The procedure is planned to provide grants through a selection of eligible candidates - all municipalities in the Republic of Bulgaria. The financing under this procedure will provide an opportunity for municipalities to increase the share of separately collected waste, prevented waste, and waste prepared for reuse to support the transition to a circular economy.

The indicative work program of the Environment Program for 2025 includes a new procedure through direct provision of grants under the "Biodiversity" priority whereby the direct beneficiary is the Directorate "National Service for Nature Protection" in the Ministry of Environment and Water. Eligible measures include the development of specific and detailed nature conservation objectives and specific measures for protected areas in the NATURA 2000 network, as well as activities in support of the development and management of ecosystem services and assessment of the condition of green infrastructure elements. The implementation of the project under the procedure will ensure high-quality and modern management of biodiversity and Natura 2000 in Bulgaria. The budget of the procedure is 36.5 million BGN.

A new procedure has been included in the 2025 IAWP under the "Risk and Climate Change" priority in connection with comments from the European Commission on the need to improve integrated water management and address the risk of drought, including the development of a Drought Management Plan. A specific beneficiary is the Water Management Directorate at the Ministry of Environment and Water, with a budget for the procedure of 5 million BGN.

During the working meeting, the members of the MC approved the methodology and criteria for assessment under the procedure "Support for the updating of River Basin Management Plans (RBMPs) - assessments, data collection, etc. for RBMPs 2028-2033" under Priority 1 "Water". As a result of the implementation of the activities, the River Basin Management Plans for the next planning period 2028-2033 will be updated, taking into account the current implementation of the present plans, the specific characteristics of the respective basin management region, and current applicable legislation. Eligible beneficiaries are the basin directorates "Danube Region", "Black Sea Region", "Eastern Aegean Region", and "Western Aegean Region". An eligible partner is the Directorate "Water Management" at the Ministry of Environment and Water. The total budget of the procedure is up to 10 million BGN.

The members of the MC approved methodologies and criteria for evaluation under 4 procedures in the "Biodiversity" sector, which in various aspects are aimed at improving the conservation status of habitats, at promoting good practices for conservation of nature and biodiversity. The total budget for the four procedures is 59.5 million BGN.