site.btaInfringement Procedure Against Bulgaria on Access to Justice for Air Quality Closed, Environment Ministry Says

The European Commission has closed the infringement procedure against Bulgaria concerning the removal of barriers to access to justice in relation to air quality plans under the Air Quality Directive, the Ministry of Environment and Water said on its website on Thursday. The EC's decision was taken on March 11, following a positive assessment of the legislative changes made by Bulgaria.

The procedure was opened in 2020, after the Commission found that national environmental legislation did not fully allow members of the public to challenge municipal air quality plans before the courts.

In response to the Commission's findings, the necessary steps were taken to amend the legislation. A bill amending and supplementing the Ambient Air Quality Act was drawn up, providing an explicit possibility for municipal air quality plans to be challenged under the Administrative Procedure Code. The legislation was adopted conclusively by the National Assembly on September 11, 2025.