site.btaUPDATED Parliament to Discuss Separation of Water and Sanitation Services into Separate Entity on Wednesday

First vote on the water supply and sewerage bill submitted by the Council of Ministers is included in the weekly draft agenda for the Parliament that spans Wednesday to Friday and is published on the legislative body's website.

After MPs failed to reach a quorum last week and did not hold a single plenary session, National Assembly Chair Nataliya Kiselova said in Kardzhali, Southern Bulgaria, on Tuesday there would be an example of a functioning National Assembly on the following day. She added that there is no reason why there would not be a quorum again.

The texts proposed in the bill on water supply and sewerage reflect the requirements of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan to introduce the separation of the regulation of water and sewerage services into a separate entity; a new pricing structure for water and sewerage services based on guaranteeing minimum costs for the use of the systems and the necessary services; regulating the role of Bulgarian W&S (water and sewerage) holding EAD; creating conditions for consolidation in the management and operation of water and sewerage systems and the provision of water and sewerage services. The bill should specify the mechanisms for setting tariffs and ensure cost-oriented pricing for the use of systems and services while also ensuring the financial sustainability of operators.

MPs are also expected to consider a draft decision on the appointment of a commission to audit the annual financial statements of the Bulgarian National Audit Office for 2022, 2023, and 2024.

The draft programme also includes the ratification of the Agreement between Bulgaria and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development on cooperation and the bank's activities in Bulgaria, as well as the ratification of the Agreement between the Executive Agency for Exploration and Maintenance of the Danube River and the Galati Lower Danube River Administration, Romania, for joint public procurement under the project Improving navigation conditions on the common Romanian-Bulgarian sector of the Danube, aka FAST Danube 2.