The Program “Environment” 2021-2027 has been officially approved by the European Commission. Its planned budget amounts to 3 565 881 509 BGN and the official confirmation came a month earlier before the deadline, which is a result of the consistent efforts by the leadership team of the Ministry of Environment and Water.

The program is an essential tool for preserving, protecting, and improving the quality of the environment and supporting sustainable development. It is cofinanced by the European Fund for Regional Development, the Cohesion Fund, and the state budget of the Republic of Bulgaria. The funds will be targeting the improvement of water supply infrastructure and air quality, environmentally-friendly waste management and protection of Bulgaria’s rich biodiversity, as well as prevention and management of the risk of floods, landslides, and forest fires. The support for these goals is divided into 5 main priorities.

Over 1 399 million BGN will be spent on the collection, removal, and treatment of waste water, on water supply, as well as on activities to improve the monitoring and assessment of water quality for drinking and domestic use. It is planned to expand and modernize the water supply and sewerage infrastructure for the already consolidated areas of Veliko Tarnovo, Gabrovo, Pleven, Sofia-city, Sofia-region, Targovishte, Haskovo and Dobrich. Among the permissible measures under Priority “Water” is the development of a regional pre-investment study for the regions of Blagoevgrad, Kyustendil, Lovech, Montana, Pazardzhik, and Razgrad after their consolidation.

The priority “Waste” promotes the transition to a circular economy based on the efficient use of resources. 611.49 million BGN will be invested in systems for separate collection and recycling of biodegradable waste, in models for optimizing the household waste management process, in reclamation of landfills, as well as in systems and centers for separate waste collection and preparation for reuse and correction. More than 337 million USD has been allocated for measures to build or expand systems for separate collection and recycling of biodegradable waste in municipalities.

With a budget of 259.09 million BGN, the “Biological diversity” priority supports activities for the development of the “Natura 2000” network, for improving the nature protection status of natural habitats and species, and for the protection and restoration of ecosystems outside of “Natura 2000”.

The measures under the Priority “Risk and Climate Change” with a budget of 441.31 million BGN are expected to aim at increasing the population’s readiness for an adequate response and ensuring the capacity to fight forest fires; for flood and drought risk prevention and management; and for building a National Water Management System in real time.

The reduction of all forms of air pollution remains a top priority in the new “Environment” Program 2021-2027. Over 773.47 million BGN will be invested in measures to reduce harmful emissions from domestic heating and transport, including through the free replacement of solid fuel heating devices with ecological alternatives for households, so as to tackle secondary dust generation, improve the monitoring of air quality, as well as to create a National network of experts on air quality monitoring.

The full text of the Program “Environment” 2021-2027 can be found on this link:

https://www.eufunds.bg/bg/opos/node/10795