Ministry of Environment and
Water
State of the Environment Bulgaria 2003
Financial support and economic regulators
Sanctions
Council of Ministers Decree No. 276 of 20 December 2000 amended and supplemented the Regulation Establishing a Procedure for Determination and Imposition of Sanctions for Environmental Pollution or Damage in Excess of Permissible Limit Values, adopted by Council of Ministers Decree No. 24 of 1993. The Regulation was brought into conformity with the Water Act and with the secondary legislative acts on its application.
The Decree provides for a 5% decrease of sanctions imposed for environmental pollution and damage in cases where the polluters affected have taken investment measures to reduce the noxious substance emissions to the permissible limits. During the year, only LUKoil Neftochim Bourgas invoked this preferential treatment. This incentive is not yet sufficiently popular and the breachers of environmental standards do not benefit from it.
A total of 565 sanctions were imposed in 2001 for excessive pollution on potential environmental polluters, including 65 economic entities which were penalized by one-time sanctions for burst pollution. The largest proportion, 48.2%, were enterprises polluting ambient air. Enterprises polluting water bodies were 46%, and soil polluters 5.8%. In 2001, the proceeds from sanctions totalled BGN 8,450,000, of which BGN 5,110,000 were remitted by the State Receivables Collection Agency, which enforces the collection of sanctions from defaulting economic entity debtors. Compared to the previous year, the sanction liabilities compliance rate improved considerably thanks to the enhanced capacity of the State Receivables Collection Agency.
The proceeds were distributed according to Article 4 (3) of the Environmental Protection Act: 70% to the NEPF and 30% to the municipal funds. Larger sanctions (over BGN 2,000) were imposed on LUKoil Neftochim Bourgas, the Sugar Refineries of Gorna Oryahovitsa, Neochim of Dimitrovgrad, Elisseina of Gara Elisseina, the Lead & Zinc Complex of Kurdjali, Vulkan of Dimitrovgrad, the Alcohol Distillery of Katounitsa etc.
Last update on March 2003