site.btaNational Association of Municipalities Holds General Assembly, Agrees on Budget and Adopts Programme for 2025

The National Association of Municipalities in the Republic of Bulgaria (NAMRB) held its 38th General Assembly here on Wednesday. The delegates reached a consensus on the budget for municipalities and adopted the Association’s programme for 2025.

The forum was opened by NAMRB Management Board Chair and Veliko Tarnovo Mayor Daniel Panov and was addressed by Sofia Mayor Vassil Terziev and other mayors, as well as by Vice President Iliana Iotova.

The discussions also covered the preparations for the euro adoption, the implementation of the National Investment Programme, the future of European funding, the National Recovery and Resilience Plan and structural and cohesion programmes.

The delegates reached full consensus on all issues regarding the budget for Bulgarian municipalities, said Daniel Panov. 

Panov pointed out that there have been major disputes over the investment programme, especially regarding the funds that must be paid out for projects that municipalities have worked on in 2024. He emphasized that this meeting is unique, as it brings together all the managements of the municipalities in Bulgaria. "We are here together, regardless of the size of the municipality, the location and the political affiliation of the mayor of the municipality," he said, adding NAMRB has proven that local governments are the backbone of the state.  

He also indicated that the household waste fee has been postponed for one year, and a new fee should be introduced in 2026. He also commented on Bulgaria's upcoming entry into the eurozone, indicating that a number of regulations are forthcoming that need to be changed so that there is no stress for citizens of the various municipalities.

The General Assembly adopted a programme for the association's activity in 2025. 

The programme was presented by the Deputy Chair of the Management Board of NAMRB, Donka Mihaylova. She said 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.

Among the key priorities of NAMRB for 2025 will be a waste management reform and support for the transition to a household waste fee from 2026, Mihaylova said.

Addressing the forum, Vice President Iliana Iotova said that municipalities in Bulgaria need freedom and equality. "Your voice is the voice of Bulgaria from one end to the other," she emphasized, adding that the event is the best and most reliable picture of the situation in Bulgaria. Iotova wished the municipalities to remain united, as there are many politicians and institutions who are tempted to divide and oppose, while they are chasing party or political dividends. She called such behaviour cynical, as inciting some municipalities against others only fuels the fire of division. According to her, this leads to people's aversion to elections and decreasing trust in all institutions, including local government.

She stated that the voice of Bulgarian municipalities should be decisive when foreign policy decisions are made, for example, when the fate of cohesion policy is determined at the European level, adding that the government should ask municipalities about their position on the European Commission's plan to move funds for cohesion policy to the Defence budget.

Sofia Mayor Vasil Terziev said in his remarks that NAMBR has always been a guarantor of dialogue based on equality and in line with the interests of all Bulgarian municipalities. "The new government is still in its 100-day honeymoon which we rarely get in local governments. However, we will be demanding, because reforms cannot wait," he emphasized. He pointed out that one of the biggest concerns for Bulgarian municipalities is the Recovery and Resilience Plan as Bulgaria risks losing billions of euros due to the delay of key reforms.

Terziev stressed that Sofia, as the largest Bulgarian municipality, has a commitment and responsibility to make sure that the voice of Bulgarian cities is heard both in Bulgaria and in Europe.

He pointed out that municipalities are often faced with outdated legal frameworks, complex bureaucratic procedures and insufficient coordination between institutions, stressing that NAMRB must not only put important issues on the agenda, but also be an active participant in finding solutions.