site.btaSofia Municipality's 2026 Draft Budget Focuses on Green Policies

The expansion of Sofia's green system is a major focus in the Sofia Municipality's budget for 2026, said Deputy Mayor for Environment Nadezhda Bobcheva at the presentation of the draft budget framework for 2026 at a seminar that took place here on Friday. The event was also attended by Sofia Mayor Vassil Terziev, Sofia City Council Chair Tsvetomir Petrov, deputy mayors, representatives of the Sofia Municipality administration, municipal councillors, and regional mayors.

Bobcheva highlighted the construction of new parks and urban gardens as a vital process. She reported that work is underway on several priority projects, such as the new park in Mladost 3, for which the municipality is currently in litigation with the Supreme Administrative Court. The Deputy Mayor was hopeful that a decision on the selection of a contractor to carry out the construction will be made as soon as possible.

She reported that the municipality has ambitions to modernize the Sofia Zoo. The overall project for the construction of a giraffe house has already been completed, which will allow the zoo to acquire a giraffe. The estimated value of the investment is EUR 4 million. A public tender for the engineering and expansion of the zoo will be announced in 2026. Building the giraffe is expected to take between two and three years.

The Deputy Mayor announced that EUR 2.5 million in funding has been secured from the Operational Programme Environment for the construction of several protected areas in the zoo and for the modernization of the research centre. These initiatives are part of the zoo's ambitions to become a full member of the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA). The Sofia Zoo has been a temporary EAZA member since 2023. Monitoring planned for 2026 will determine a potential full membership.

Bobcheva's statement is based on the already formulated "green" policy of Terziev's team. In November 2025, Bobcheva presented the Green Measures for Cleaner Air project financed under the Environment Programme that aims to improve air quality by increasing green areas across the capital.