The Court of Auditors is launching a large-scale audit of the Ministry of Interior and the Executive Forestry Agency on how over 1.3 billion leva intended for prevention, control and recovery after forest fires were spent, "Nova TV" revealed.
The audit will cover the period from the beginning of 2024 to mid-2026 and will monitor not only how the funds were used, but also how well the institutions were prepared to respond to disasters and whether they worked in a coordinated manner.
The audit comes against the backdrop of alarming statistics. In 2025, Bulgaria was among the ten countries most affected by forest fires in the European Union. In just one year, nearly 300,000 acres of forests have burned in our country, including territories from the “Natura 2000“ network.
The auditors will check the costs of firefighting equipment, equipment, protective equipment, building repairs, employee training and preparing the population for disaster response. The inspection will also collect information from the Council of Ministers, regional governors and municipalities.
According to data, about 96% of forest fires in our country are caused by human activity - intentionally or due to negligence. In more than 80% of cases, the fire starts outside the forest areas and subsequently spreads within them.
The Court of Auditors also points out a number of problems that necessitate the inspection. Among them are the lack of an up-to-date national strategy for the development of the forest sector, as well as data on insufficient preparation and capacity of some institutions, especially at the local level. The aim of the audit is to show whether the funds invested have led to better prevention, faster response to fires and more effective protection of people and forest areas.