site.btaBulgarian, Norwegian Prisons Twin under Green Prisons Project

The prisons in Belene and Pleven have twinned with Norway's ONA prison under a project for green prisons implemented in Bulgaria, which is in the final stretch, the Justice Ministry said.

The agreement was signed by Chief Commissioners Stefan Stefanov and Pavlin Kambourov, and Leif Magne Viste, head of the ONA prison.

The ceremony took place near the city of Stavanger, where the prison is located. Attending were Deputy Justice Minister Georgi Nikolov, Chief Commissioner, Ivailo Yordanov, head of the Chief Directorate for the Execution of Penalties, experts of Bulgaria's Chief Directorate for the Execution of Penalties and the Norwegian Correctional Service. 

The Justice Ministry said that the focus of the future activities will be on improving infrastructure and  training of inmates and prison staff in environment-friendly economy. According to the partners from Norway, reducing energy consumption and involving inmates in labour activities, education and training for preparation to work in an emerging green economy reduces expenditures for financial and human resources. 

The visit to Norway will continue with bilateral meetings which will discuss current and future joint activities and visits to other prisons. 

BTA recalls that on January 25 work began on two pilot green prisons in Bulgaria.