Ministry of Environment and
Water
State of the Environment Bulgaria 2003
Legislation
In recent years Bulgaria has adopted framework national legislation in the following sectors:
Horizontal legislation: Environmental Protection Act;
Air quality: Clean Ambient Air Act;
Waste management: Act on Limitation of the Harmful Environmental Impact of Waste;
Water quality: Water Act;
Nature conservation: Protected Areas Act and Biological Diversity Act;
Chemicals: Act on Protection against the Harmful Impact of Chemical Substances, Preparations and Products;
Nuclear safety: Safe Use of Nuclear Energy Act.
These framework laws introduce fundamental requirements of the EU framework directives in the respective sectors and made it possible to transpose the remaining "daughter" directives through secondary legislative acts, a large part of which have already been adopted and are implemented. Bulgaria is planning to achieve full harmonization with the European environmental acquis in force not later than the end of 2003, by which time a Genetically Modified Organisms Act and a new Waste Management Act are to be adopted, along with the regulations provided for in the Environmental Protection Act and the Biological Diversity Act, as well as certain provisions in the areas of risk management and waste management.
Bulgaria has adopted an integrated approach to environmental protection. All environmental components (water, air, soil, biodiversity) and the links between them are taken into account in addressing environmental problems. The Environmental Protection Act is the legal framework that provides for such integrated approach. One of the principal instruments of administrative regulation, provided for in that Act, is the environmental impact assessment (EIA) procedure. Each project or activity, listed in an Annex to the Environmental Protection Act, which could impact one or several environmental components, is subject to a mandatory EIA procedure. The procedure includes research, preparation of reports, public discussions, and approval by the competent environmental management authorities.
The governmental institutions, and above all the MoEW, take an active part in the process of consultations with the public. This is legally regulated through the EIA procedures and the issuance of integrated permits, according to the Environmental Protection Act. The Act also requires conduct of an EIA procedure for projects likely to cause significant adverse transboundary impact. The Bulgarian public will therefore participate in a public discussion of projects of neighbouring countries which are likely to impact the state of the environment in Bulgaria.
The right to access to information relating to the environment .......
Last update on March 2003