site.btaHealth Minister Dismisses Director of Veliko Tarnovo Regional Health Inspectorate, Orders Urgent Investigation on Air Quality

Health Minister Silvi Kirilov dismissed Director of the Regional Health Inspectorate (RHI) in Veliko Tarnovo, Evgenia Nedeva, and ordered an urgent investigation into all facts and circumstances related to air quality in the city, the Health Ministry said on its website on Friday. The RHI-Veliko Tarnovo Deputy Director, Krasimira Petrova, has been appointed acting Director.

On October 15, Parliamentary Health Committee Chair Kostadin Angelov called for the resignations of Nedeva and Tsvetelin Ivanov, head of the Control and Preventive Activities at the Regional Inspectorate of Environment and Water in Veliko Tarnovo, over the city’s air pollution allegedly caused by the operations of a local industrial plant, Kronospan Bulgaria.

An inspection by the Ministry's Inspectorate found shortcomings in the organization of the RHI’s work, including incomplete analyses and insufficient feedback to citizens’ complaints, the absence of an action plan and procedure, and inadequate coordination with other control authorities.

By order of November 4, 2025, an interdepartmental working group has been set up, including experts from the Health Ministry, the Environment and Water Ministry, the National Center of Public Health and Analyses, the Regional Health Inspectorate (RHI), the Regional Inspectorate of Environment and Water, the General Labour Inspectorate, and others. The group will hold its first meeting on November 10, 2025.

The working group’s task is to conduct a comprehensive health risk assessment, organize a joint epidemiological study on the link between air pollution and public health, and propose concrete measures with clearly defined responsibilities and deadlines. All competent institutions have been requested to submit available data and documents, including results from air quality measurements, analyses of diseases, and information related to the activities of the Kronospan Bulgaria, the statement said.