Ministers took part in discussions on the second day of the Annual Meeting of Local Authorities in Albena. The event was organized by the National Association of Municipalities in the Republic of Bulgaria (NAMB).
The program began with a meeting on current issues with the Minister of Finance Temenuzhka Petkova. During the meeting, Petkova said that very few municipalities in the country - only about 73, are ready to implement the principle of “the polluter pays”. The Minister of Finance emphasized that the topic of changing the garbage fee has been around for a long time and a criminal procedure has been initiated against our country.
Yesterday's program included a discussion panel on the topic “Reforms in Waste Management” in the “Perunika” hall in Albena with the participation of the Minister of Environment and Water Manol Genov. “The entry of the “polluter pays” principle is being successfully postponed, the motives are different”, he said and announced what is ahead for the ministry until the end of 2025.
The Executive Director of the National Municipal Administration of the Republic of Bulgaria Silvia Georgieva emphasized that the number of colored containers must be increased, the frequency of removal must be increased and citizens must be provided with maximum coverage with infrastructure for separate collection.
It must be understood that waste management is a national policy, and not everyone should do it for themselves, said the Mayor of Blagoevgrad Metodi Baykushev.
In parallel, in the “Sky” hall at the Maritim Paradise Blue Hotel, representatives of local authorities gathered to discuss the topic of working health and social services.
“A 60-bed multi-profile hospital is about to be built in Tsarevo”, the mayor of the municipality Marin Kirov told the participants.
The mayor of the municipality General Toshevo Valentin Dimitrov spoke about the program developed in the city to provide scholarships for nurses and other health professionals. There is only one medical center in General Toshevo, and the company is 100 percent municipally owned, Dimitrov added.
The Mayor of Targovishte Municipality and Chairman of the Standing Committee on Health of the National Administrative Board of the Republic of Bulgaria, Dr. Darin Dimitrov, called on the home care system to also cover people who have been discharged from hospital but need follow-up treatment.
There are 762 state-delegated social services for children in the country, said Zornitsa Vasileva, Head of the Cabinet of the Minister of Labor and Social Policy. Vasileva specified that these services cover over 22 thousand users.
Most social services are project-based, but this makes them temporary and unstable, commented Dimitar Nedev, Deputy Mayor of Ruse Municipality.
In the "Sii" hall at the Maritim Paradise Blue Hotel, a discussion panel on the topic “Measures and solutions to slow down climate change: how to save water” was also held.
The Chairman of the Management Board of the National Assembly of the Republic of Bulgaria and Mayor of Veliko Tarnovo Daniel Panov said that citizens should contribute to the implementation of solutions in the field of water.
According to the Chairman of the Committee on Environment and Water in the National Assembly and the Chairman of the Temporary Committee for Establishing All Facts and Circumstances Regarding the Problems of Water Deficit in the Country Mladen Shishkov, about 160 thousand people in the country are currently affected by water shortages.
The Dean of the Faculty of Hydrotechnics of the University of Architecture, Civil Engineering and Geodesy, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Eng. Petar Filkov said that the most water is lost due to poor infrastructure. And the mayor of Samokov Angel Dzhorgov emphasized that the topic of the water supply and sanitation sector will become increasingly important both now and in the years to come.
The challenge facing mayors is first and foremost the lack of water, and secondly - the abundance of water, added the mayor of Troyan and deputy chairperson of the National Municipal Assembly of the Republic of Bulgaria Donka Mihaylova.
A check for construction along all ravines and rivers along the Black Sea coast has begun, announced the regional minister Ivan Ivanov.
At the plenary session “Financial Horizon 2026” in the “Perunika” hall; Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport and Communications Grozdan Karadjov announced that according to data from the National Concession Register as of October this year, there are 1,182 active concessions in Bulgaria, of which nearly half – 507, are municipal.
According to Minister Ivan Ivanov, in 2026 the municipal investment program can be used for projects to rehabilitate the water supply network, especially in settlements where problems have been identified.
Bulgaria will receive over two billion euros from the European Social Climate Fund, said Minister of Agriculture and Food Georgi Tahov.
The connectivity of regions is becoming a key priority for Europe and the European Commission (EC) proposal is to double the budget of the Connecting Europe Facility in the field of transport, announced the Head of the EC Representation in Bulgaria Yordanka Chobanova during the plenary session.
The program on the second day of the Annual Meeting of Local Authorities ended with a discussion on the topic "Horizon 2026: The Euro - the new currency, new horizons, new tasks".
There is chronic skepticism towards the adoption of the euro in the country, said Dimitar Ganev from the “Trend” agency and presented a recent study conducted on the topic.
It is necessary to stop irresponsible talking about the introduction of the euro, because the erosion of people's trust is something very worrying, said Ilia Lingorski, member of the Governing Board of the Bulgarian National Bank.
According to Deputy Minister of Interior Lyubomir Yosifov, since the beginning of this year, 161 pre-trial proceedings have been initiated in connection with hacker attacks and financial fraud on the Internet.
According to Deputy Minister of Electronic Governance Alexander Yolovski, municipalities are ready to work with the euro.
Speaking on the topic of the euro, the Chairperson of the Economic and Social Council Zornitsa Rusinova explained that the council always emphasizes the topic of small settlements, the elderly and people with disabilities.