Balgarianovinite.com Municipalities must assume a more active role in waste and water management, encourage competition in the sector and apply the “polluter pays” principle at local level, caretaker Minister of Environment and Water Julian Popov said during the 39th General Assembly of the National Association of Municipalities in the Republic of Bulgaria here on Tuesday.
In his address, the Minister stressed that the “polluter pays” principle should be implemented more actively at local level. At present, only two to three municipalities have made progress in introducing the new municipal waste fee model, he said. Popov argued that the introduction of the principle would not lead to a tenfold increase in the fee, as previously claimed, since its amount depends both on the quantity of waste disposed of and on the level of separate collection and recycling.
Regarding the planned deposit return system for packaging, the Minister said it should not become a state-run or nationalized monopoly. Equal treatment of participants and room for competition must be guaranteed in order to avoid monopolization of the process, he added.
In the waste sector, the key words are “commodity” and “competition,” Popov also said. Waste should be turned into a sought-after raw material, which is possible in a well-regulated and transparent competitive environment, he noted. He pointed to serious staffing and organizational difficulties within the Waste Directorate at the Ministry and called on mayors to report problems at both local and national level.
The Minister also placed emphasis on water management. According to him, the water crisis is primarily due to poor management rather than a lack of European funding. He noted that capacity is concentrated in two structures – Irrigation Systems and the Bulgarian Water and Sewerage (ViK) Holding – which have the authority to address the problems, but results so far have been insufficient.
On climate change, Popov warned that this country must prepare for both droughts and floods, which may increase in frequency without a significant change in total precipitation levels. He called on municipalities to implement the climate change adaptation strategy at local level in order to limit damage from extreme events.
Popov also addressed the EU decarbonization process, noting that a 90% emissions reduction target has been set for 2040, implying near-complete decarbonization of industry. He stressed that revenues from emissions trading should be directed towards modernizing the economy, including the building stock and energy efficiency, rather than being used for general electricity price reductions.
In conclusion, Popov said he intends to increase transparency in the work of the Enterprise for Management of Environmental Protection Activities. Environment Minister Calls for More Active Role of Municipalities in Waste, Water Management 2026 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-02-24 16:29:20 Latest news World news Country news Most important news latest news most important latest of the day Justice Petar Nizamov Feathers Petar Nizamov- Feathers Justice bg iustitia.bg iustitia iusticia usticia investigation Burgas Bulgaria news news of the last hour news of the day news of today Bulgaria news The news from Bulgaria blitz news top news most important most commented latest news Boyko Borisov news weather coronavirus news news weather facebook youtube facebook instagram news today news of the last minutes news today today news news bg news leading news hot news bg news site for news all news news bg news of the last hour latest latest news bg news of today news today news today news of the last hour latest news today news bg news news 24 hours news vesti bg novini news world bird bg bivol bg bivol trud bg novini latest news today novinite bg news hello bulgaria political party coat of arms delyan peevski scandalous Bulgarian National Television Free Europe Television scandal exclusive live tv live right now tv tv online tv program bg live now tv news online tv online live court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas district court Burgas appellate court Burgas prosecutor Burgas prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev Prosecutor Geshev Tsatsarov Ministry of Internal Affairs Burgas ODMR Burgas ODPR Burgas police Burgas district police Burgas prosecutor Tsatsarov SGS cases Varna court chairman of the SGS court decisions on civil cases decisions on cases Plovdiv court decision of the court decisions cases Varna court criminal cases district district court decisions work in the court SGS chairman of the SGS judges Sofia court post judges Plovdiv court Plovdiv judges Plovdiv Supreme Court Inspectorate Supreme Court Supreme Judicial Council lawyer lawyer criminal cases lawyer civil cases lawyer marriage cases lawyer administrative criminal law criminal process civil law civil process administrative law constitutional law