site.btaParliament Adopts Amendments to Environmental Protection Act at First Reading

Voting at first reading Thursday on two separate bills to amend the Environmental Protection Act, the National Assembly approved one of them, moved by GERB-UDF, BSP-United Left, There Is Such a People, and MRF-New Beginning, with 166 votes in favour, none against, and 10 abstentions. The other bill, submitted by Vazrazhdane floor leader Kostadin Kostadinov and other MPs, was rejected by a vote of 58-33 and 83 abstentions.

The government plans to extend the deadline for registering private water sources to 2033 to allow sufficient time for preparation and to simplify the registration process. The current deadline is November 28, 2025.

The sponsors of the approved bill say in their reasoning that the registration of private water sources, such as wells, fountains and boreholes, is important for both citizens and the Environment and Water Commission. They add that people are mainly concerned that registration could lead to the mandatory installation of water meters and the imposition of fees, but the majority emphasize that this is not the state's intention. Water resources are public property used by all citizens, whether or not they have their own well, necessitating their protection and careful regulation. 

In the rejected bill, Vazrazhdane had proposed extending the period during which owners of groundwater abstraction facilities, including wells for personal use, can submit applications to register their facilities in the special registers of the basin directorates by five years. According to them, the main goal is to enable more people to comply with the law's requirements and ensure the registers are complete.