site.btaPM Zhelyazkov Comments on Kronospan Suspension, Citing Health and Clean Air

Following a decision of the Regional Inspectorate of Environment and Water in Veliko Tarnovo to suspend production on Kronospan's particleboard line, outgoing Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov said that a healthy and safe environment must be guaranteed for every citizen. He said the government had been repeatedly informed about the problem.

Zhelyazkov said the Regional Inspectorate had fulfilled the duty of every regulatory authority: to impose measures and sanctions whenever unlawful actions occur. The citizens of Veliko Tarnovo have the same right to clean air as citizens of any other European country with similar industrial facilities, he said.

Asked if an appeal by Kronospan Bulgaria would suspend the enforcement of the measure, Zhelyazkov said that in a state governed by the rule of law, the right to appeal is guaranteed and that the court is the body competent to decide whether the measure will remain in force. "In addition to the letter of the law, we must also observe its spirit, which dictates that everything must be done in the name of the Bulgarian citizen," he said.

Veliko Tarnovo Mayor Daniel Panov said the Regional Inspectorate's order took effect on Friday morning, and the company has 24 hours to submit a safety plan and halt particleboard production. Panov recalled that local authorities have been working for more than four years to resolve the issue.

On November 11, 2025, the parliamentary Health Committee gave the Regional Inspectorate of Environment and Water in Veliko Tarnovo a seven-day deadline to resolve the town's air quality problems caused by emissions from the Kronospan Bulgaria plant. Committee Chair Kostadin Angelov urged the regional environmental authority to take full responsibility in response to hundreds of citizens complaining about suffocation and polluted air.

Rosen Zhelyazkov and Energy Minister Zhecho Stankov also inspected the ongoing thermal renovation of residential buildings in Veliko Tarnovo.