site.btaEnvironment Minister Popov Highlights Achievements, Priorities During His Term of Office

In a BTA interview, Environment and Waters Minister Julian Popov said that his greatest achievement during his term of office is the way he and his team have managed to put Bulgaria on the map of European and global climate policies. "We participated in the [2023 United Nations] Climate Change Conference (COP 28) in Dubai and we were actively involved in the European negotiating position. As a country, we also learned a lot first-hand about the negotiation process, so that from now on we are not just consumers of policies that have been passed to us by Brussels, but we are a participant who can defend its national interests in the best way," the Minister stressed.

Popov highlighted some of his ministry’s priorities, including the termination of the 15 ongoing criminal procedures against Bulgaria related to environment, the following of the approved methodology for mapping and delimitation of sand dunes and determining their type, as well as the elaboration of proposals against unpleasant odours. Popov also emphasized on Bulgaria's role in the discussions on Ukraine's ecological restoration as another topic that his ministry is actively engaged in.

The Environment Ministry is also working on a campaign for clean urban rivers. "At the moment, we are doing a survey of the rivers in Sofia - what is their condition and whether there are any illegal discharges and pourings of polluted water, so that we can step up to a more concrete plan to implement with the Regional Inspectorate on Environment and Water and the municipality," the Popov explained.

Commenting on the future of coal-fired power plants, he noted that one of the ministry’s objectives is to work on the development of a general management plan for the Maritsa-East coal-mining region. "We must bear in mind that the people who work in Maritsa-East have high qualifications that are applicable in the industry anyway. The idea is not for miners to learn how to make Power Point presentations or open cafes. It's about how to use their experience to attract industries to them," the minister added.

Answering a question about possible construction of offshore wind farms along the Bulgarian Black Sea coast, Popov said that local residents should not worry because there are enough regulatory functions that will not allow spontaneous construction of plants anywhere, and because this cannot happen quickly.