Slavitza Dobreva

The following administrative levels exist in Bulgaria - Ministry of Environment and Water, its regional bodies and the municipalities. The decisions and the position of the country in the environmental protection sector are taken directly by the Government. The central state institution, which is responsible for the policy making in environmental sector is the Ministry of Environment and Water. The Ministry is responsible for:

• Development and implementation of the national policy in the environmental sector;
• Preparation of legislative and regulation basis in sectors Water Quality, Air Quality, Waste Management, Nature Protection, Chemicals, Noise, Industrial Pollution and Risk Management, Horizontal Legislation in accordance with the requirements of the EU legislation;
• Management of the protected areas which are exclusive state property and of the use of water resources;
• Issuing of permits for use of natural and mineral resources and taking of decisions on the environmental impact statements for large plants and for activities of national importance.

15 Regional Inspectorates for Environment and Water and 3 Directorates of National Parks are established under the Ministry of Environment and Water as bodies under whose territorial scope fall several administrative regions. Their main functions are:

• Carrying out the control on the implementation and enforcement of the environmental legislation;
• Supporting the municipalities in the preparation and the realization of the local policies in the field of environmental protection;
• Informing of the public about the state of the environment;
• Taking decisions on the environmental impact assessments for sites and activities of regional importance and issuing of permits for activities and installations for treatment of waste.

According to the requirements of the new Water Act, 4 River Basin Authorities will be set up in the determined 4 regions for basin management – Danube, Black Sea, East White Sea, West White Sea. The Act indicates the basin borders and cities where the Basin Authorities will be settled down. These Authorities will be responsible for the implementation of the integrated quality and quantity management on the basin level. A Chief Water Division is established within the MoEW, responsible for the management and coordination of the activities of the 4 Basin Authorities. The Basin Authorities should be established not later than January 2002.

The Executive Environmental Agency is a specialized body of the Ministry of Environment and Water, which is responsible for:

• Carrying out the monitoring and the analytical-laboratory activities;
• Preparing methodological guidelines for the Regional Inspectorates as regards the measurements and the analyses;
• Collecting and processing the information about the state of environment and issuing information bulletins;
• Preparing and publishing a Yearbook for the State of Environment in Bulgaria.

Other state institutions mainly responsible for different aspects of the environmental protection are:

• Ministry of Health: monitors the impact of the environmental components and the working environment on the human health; determines the state policy for health prophylactics, monitors the quality of the drinking water;
• Ministry of Agriculture and Forests: carries out activities, related to the protection, restoration and maintaining of the soil fertility, protection of water from contamination with nitrates from the agricultural production, use and protection of the forests;
• Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works: implements the national policy in the area of: territorial planning and public works, development of the water supply and sewerage systems; develops the National Plan for Regional Development;
• Ministry of Transport and Communications: prepares limit values for harmful emissions from the transport vehicles and carries out control over their implementation.

Other specialized state bodies, which support the solving of the environmental problems, are:

• National Agency for Use of Atomic Energy for Peaceful Purposes is a regulating body in the area of nuclear safety and radiation protection;
• National Agency for Energy and Energy Resources - elaborates programmes for the development of the energy sector and particularly for the reduction of the environmental pollution from the energy related activities;
• National Agency for Energy Effectiveness - develops and supports the implementation of the policy for effective and rational use of the energy and the use of alternative energy sources;
• National Agency for Standardization and Metrology - develops, updates and harmonizes Bulgarian state standards with the international and European ones, related to the environmental management.

The National Council on Regional Sustainable Development (NCRSD) was established by a Governmental Degree in July 1999. The Council is an advisory body to the Council of Ministers. The Council’s work is based on an annual programme, which is adopted in the beginning of each year. The Councils should have at least 4 regular sessions according to the Governmental Decree, but in practice due to the intensive development in all sectors in Bulgaria it meets more frequently. Chairman of the NCRSD is the minister of regional development and public works. Permanent members as representatives of the Council of Ministers are the minister of environment, the minister of economy, the minister of transport and communications, the minister of agriculture and forests, the minister of labor and social policy, the minister of health, the minister of education and the minister of culture. Other members of the NCRSD are the regional governors of the 9 administrative regions (districts) of Bulgaria and the president of the National association of the municipalities. Non-permanent members of the Council are representatives of the civil associations and NGOs working in the field of sustainable development.

The main tasks of the NCRSD are:

• To assess and give advises and proposals about different acts (legislative acts, action plans, programmes, etc.) of the ministries, of other institutions and of NGOs concerning the regional and sustainable development;
• To assess the draft of the National Plan for Regional Development;
• To assess the draft of the Annual Report for the Implementation of the National Plan for Regional Development;
• To co-ordinate the activities of ministries and other institutions concerning the regional and sustainable development;
• To adopt a National Sustainable Development Strategy and a National Report on sustainable development.

The High Environmental Expert Council (HEEC), which is directly subordinate to the Minister of Environment and Water, is a specialized body to the Ministry of Environment and Water. Chairman of the HEEC is a deputy minister of environment and water. Permanent members of the Council are the heads of departments and directorates in the MoEW, the Executive Director of the Executive Environmental Agency, representatives of the Ministry for Regional Development and Public Works, Ministry of Health and Ministry of Agriculture and Forests. Non-permanent members are representatives of the Bulgarian Academy of Science, other science and research institutes and NGOs, experts of MoEW and of other institutions.

The HEEC has following functions:

• To take decisions on Environmental Impact Assessment reports in accordance with the requirements of the Act on Environment Protection;
• To take decisions on priority projects in the field of environment, geology, hydrogeology, engineering geology and mineral resources searching;
• To approve methods for samples-taking and analysis to be carried out by the Executive Environmental Agency;
• To approve management plans for national or natural parks, which are protected areas.

A High Water Consultant Council will be appointed to support the MoEW. The members of the Council will be representatives of different ministries and state agencies, the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, local management bodies and NGOs. The Basin Councils will consult the work of the Basin Authorities. The Basin Council will be established as a state–public commission for consultations, which includes representatives of state and local administration, water consumers, scientific organizations and NGOs. The Basin Council will work by virtue of the voluntary principle.

The municipal bodies play an important role in the implementation of the policy in the environmental sector and in this respect their main functions are:

• Development of environmental protection programmes;
• Development and implementation of the overall policy at a local level on the collection, transportation and safe disposal of municipal waste;
• Control over the disposal of waste and hazardous substances on their territory;
• Control over the construction, maintenance and operation of urban waste water treatment plants;
• Informing the public about the state of the environment;
• Control of the implementation of the environmental legislation as far as small facilities of local importance are concerned.

Regional Sustainable Development Councils were established in each of the 9 districts in Bulgaria together with the National Sustainable Development Council with a Governmental Decree in July 1999. Chairman of the Council is the regional governor, permanent members are the mayors of the municipalities in the district, as well as representatives of regional municipality associations, of local civil associations and NGOs.

The main tasks of the Regional Councils are:

• To assess and give advises and proposals about the report of the regional governor on the Regional Plan for regional and sustainable development;
• To assess the draft of the Annual Report for implementation of the Regional Plan for regional and sustainable development;
• To assess and give advises and proposals about initiatives undertaken by municipalities, regional agencies, civil associations and NGOs concerning the regional and sustainable development;

The main strategic objective of the environmental protection policy of Bulgaria is the preservation of the quality of environment in the environmentally clean areas of the country, as well as improvement of the conditions in the damaged and contaminated regions.

In 1992, with the support of the World Bank, an Environmental Strategy of Bulgaria was developed. The Strategy was updated in 1994. The Strategy determines the main priorities of the country for the period until year 2000 and set the guidelines for action. The successful implementation of the measures, included in that document will be completed soon.

It should be stressed that in the early nineties the most important issue for the national environmental policy was the necessity to set up in the legislation the main principles for environmental protection such as arising public awareness and participation of the public in the decision-making process, as well as implementation of „polluter pays“principle and preventive control. This goal is already achieved and the main challenges for the policy in all sectors of the country’s economy, including environment, are the establishment of all necessary conditions (legislative, institutional, etc.) for the full implementation of the requirements of the EU legislation and the integration of sustainable development principles into the definition and implementation of all other sectoral policies.

A draft Bulgarian National Environmental Strategy is developed with the support of EU-Twinning partners Germany, France and Austria. It incorporates the main principles, targets and measures which are already identified and set up in the National Plan for Economic development 2000 – 2006, Environmental Strategy paper for ISPA and other sector environmental programs and strategies.

The work for achieving the main objectives of the policy will continue, whereas the main effective instruments for its application are:

• transposition into the Bulgarian legislation of the requirements of the EU directives in the field of environmental protection. The process of transposing the framework legislation in the areas of water, air and waste has been almost accomplished. The full transposition of the EIA and IPPC directives will be fulfilled by the elaboration and entering into force of the new Act on the Environment Protection.
• development and application of complex and sectoral programmes and plans at national and local level for practical implementation of the requirements of the legislation. A National Program for implementation of the directives’ requirements and investment plans have been prepared and approved by the Council of Ministers. Their implementation will ensure the integration of the sustainable development principles into all other sectoral policies.
• development of the institutions and the administrative capacity as an important prerequisite for the implementation of the legislation,
• combining the requirements for environmental protection with the restructuring of the economy and the development of the market economy,
• informing and involving the public in solving environmental problems,
• improving the control activities of the main institutions and the local authorities for better implementation of environmental legislation and
• maximum mobilization and co-ordination of financial resources for the realization of environmental projects.

In order to improve the dialogue with the EU institutions a Council for European integration was created within the Ministry of foreign affairs. 30 working group were established under this Council. The leading institution for Working group 22 Environment is the MoEW. Representatives of different ministries and institutions, including NGOs, with interest to the environmental issues take part in the work of this group. Representatives of the following institutions participate in Working group 22:

• State Institutions
• Ministry of Interior
• Ministry of Health
• Ministry of Agriculture and Forests
• Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works\
• Ministry of Finance
• Ministry of Transport and Communications
• Ministry of Education
• Ministry of Economy
• Ministry of Justice
• Ministry of Defense
• National Agency for Standardization and Metrology
• National Statistical Institute
• National Agency for Energy and Energy Sources
• National Agency for Use of Atomic Energy for Peaceful Purposes
• National Agency for Energy Effectiveness
• National Accreditation Service

• NGOs
• Bulgarian Industrial Association
• Bulgarian Commercial Chamber
• National Movement Ekoglasnost
• Borrow Nature Foundation
• Bulgarian Association of Municipal Environmental Experts
• Time Foundation
• Birds Protection Association
• Eco Club 2000
• Center for Environmental Information and Education
• Confederation of the Independent Syndicates
• Bulgarian Academy of Sciences

Working group 22:

• Prepares and approves the draft position paper in Chapter Environment;
• Discusses draft legislative acts;
• Compares the requirements of the acquis and of the EC progress report with the existing Bulgarian legislation;
• When drafting the position paper in Chapter Environment, it consults representatives of the society and business on the arising problems;
• Discusses issues of inter-sectoral character with a view to the harmonization of the efforts of different Working groups;
• Analyses the priorities of Bulgaria in Chapter Environment the basis of which makes a motivated proposal for initiating measures to be included in the NPAA.

Bled, Hotel Park 19 - 22 October 2000, Slovenia