From VMRO, we categorically do not share the optimism of the Sofia Municipality administration that the problems with garbage collection will be controlled. On the contrary, all the facts point to the fact that the crisis will deepen and from a crisis with waste removal we will move to a general cleanliness crisis at the moment when winter maintenance and cleaning activities should be carried out. There will simply be no one to clean, said the municipal councilor from VMRO – Bulgarian National Movement Carlos Contrera today during a briefing at the Sofia Municipal Council.
He also pointed out another major looming problem - several more metropolitan areas will find themselves in a situation where there will be no one to carry out all cleaning activities at the end of the year. Therefore, within the next few weeks, the Municipal Council should take further rapid, large-scale steps to strengthen the capacity of municipal cleaning, which means making decisions on the supply of newly manufactured equipment, trucks, water carriers, machines for winter maintenance and cleaning, pointed out the way to solve the problem Contrera.
In order to prevent the crisis from developing throughout 2026, we support Mayor Terziev's thesis regarding separate collection, but in this case, enormous efforts must be made. First of all, we, the representatives of the institutions, must convince the citizens that separate collection makes sense. From VMRO we believe that the Sofia Municipality should make efforts to develop the so-called deposit system, which has become stagnant at the national level, said Contrera.
With regard to parking and the new rules that are proposed, from VMRO we will categorically not support the draft solution, which is supposedly a consensus between “Save Sofia“, “Democratic Bulgaria“ and “Continuing Change“. We are categorically against once again allowing experiments with the organization of traffic in the city. We do not agree with the elimination of the possibility of paying for a zone with paper coupons, because this is a convenient method of payment and we do not understand why it is being taken away. We also do not understand why we should become slaves - absolutely dependent on telecommunications companies, which in practice after this reform will provide the service for payment almost 100%, Contrera also pointed out.
According to him, the expansion of the zones in “Poduyane“ and “Studentski grad“ was done “on the knee“ and without analyses. In practice, one report was made from the two. This was called “reform“ so that some people could boast about how progressive they are. Such an attitude towards citizens and the city is unacceptable, so we will not support these proposals, the VMRO representative also stated.
Regarding the case with the chief architect, Contrera said that no one disputes the right of Mayor Terziev to introduce any structure he deems fit and to arrange it in a way that he believes meets his views. However, he added as a criticism the ambiguity about the effect of its adoption. He also made a number of criticisms regarding the proposals for a new deputy mayor for the so-called urban planning and the creation of duplicate departments, of directions that will be unable to achieve almost anything, since they will block each other.
However, today, we at VMRO have made a political decision to support the structure with a single argument. To deprive the associates of Mayor Terziev, of “We continue the change“ and “Democratic Bulgaria“, of the opportunity to spread the mythologizem how the bad Contrera and the bad VMRO are hindering the good Mayor Terziev, added Contrera.
From morning to night I hear excuses how I, as a municipal councilor, and my political force have sabotaged and blocked the mayor's work, we have hindered Terziev, we have been harmful. Today, those whom you accuse of being the blackest and the most evil will support your structure. Because the criticisms that we have made and will continue to make have always been principled. Unlike “We continue the change“ and “Democratic Bulgaria“ VMRO does not pursue a policy of stubbornness. So today Terziev will be supported precisely with the argument that he should stop complaining and finally, from January 1, 2026, start bearing full responsibility for everything that happens or does not happen in the Sofia Municipality, were the words of municipal councilor Carlos Contrera.