National Association of Municipalities in Bulgaria Adopts Programme for 2025

Filip Pavlov, Nikoleta Vasileva

The 38th General Assembly of the National Association of Municipalities in the Republic of Bulgaria, March 5, 2025 (BTA Photo/Hristo Kasabov)

Sofia,

05.03.2025 16:28

(BTA)

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LOCAL FOCUS

The National Association of Municipalities in the Republic of Bulgaria (NAMRB) adopted a programme for the association's activities for 2025 in Sofia on Wednesday. The programme was presented by the Deputy Chair of the Management Board of NAMRB, Donka Mihaylova, during the 38th General Assembly of the Association.

Mihaylova indicated that the NAMRB will continue to maintain and develop local self-government and local democracy in the country in 2025, while at the same time affirming the role of municipalities as key participants in the process of improving the quality of life of Bulgarian citizens.

The proposed activities in the Association's programme for 2025 are both for resolving the immediate tasks facing municipalities and for overcoming some strategic limitations for their development, she noted, adding that support from the NAMRB for the implementation of the municipalities' investment projects is one of the main activities of the Association. NAMRB's efforts will be focused on intensive communication with the municipalities and state authorities to ensure sufficient financial resources in 2025, Mihaylova pointed out.

Another key priority of the NAMRB for 2025 will be a waste management reform and support for the transition to a household waste fee from 2026, Mihaylova said. She pointed out that in 2025, active joint work with packaging waste recovery organizations, businesses and other stakeholders will also continue to facilitate the transition to the new rules.

According to Mihaylova, the lack of stable state governance has led to the need for municipalities to perform both their own and many of the state's functions in order to guarantee the normal functioning of a number of unreformed state systems. She indicated that one of these sectors is the water sector and that dealing with water scarcity is a top priority.

She emphasized that NAMRB will seek to secure funds for priority investments in water and sewerage projects in affected municipalities and mediate joint meetings between the leading ministries, the regional water and sewerage companies and the scientific community. Mihaylova also stressed that NAMRB will block the draft Water and Sewerage Act, which wants to nationalize the few remaining well-functioning municipal water and sewerage companies.

Electricity supply is another key sector of state governance, Mihaylova noted, adding that in 2025, intensive work with the Energy Ministry and the Energy and Water Regulatory Commission will be carried out for a real change in the work of electricity distribution companies.

/MR/