Minister Komitova will propose a project of Sofia Municipality for repair of the water supply and sewerage network to be included in the Recovery and Resilience Plan

The Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works will have about BGN 600 million in grants to improve the water infrastructure in the country

A project of Sofia Municipality for construction, completion and reconstruction of water supply and sewerage networks and wastewater treatment plants in settlements between 2 and 10 thousand population equivalent to be included for funding in the Recovery and Resilience Plan. This proposal will be made by the Minister of Regional Development and Public Works- arch. Violeta Komitova before the Council of Ministers, it became clear during a meeting with Sofia Mayor Yordanka Fandakova. It was also attended by the Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works Valentina Varbeva, Ivan Ivanov, Chairman of the Management Board of Bulgarian Water and Sewerage Holding Ltd, Deputy Mayor of Sofia Municipality Irina Savina and others.

The project includes a program for construction of sewerage systems and improvement of water supply in smaller settlements such as Kokalyane, Pancharevo, etc., which are not included in the projects for repair of networks funded by the Operational Program "Environment" in the municipality. Minister Komitova informed that under the Plan for Reconstruction and Sustainability the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works will have about BGN 600 million to improve the water supply in the country. The initial version included the project of Sofia Municipality, but it was dropped, after remarks by the European Commission and the Ministry of Finance related to the presence of a private concessionaire of water supply and sewerage services in the capital, the lack of demarcation of projects to be completed, realised with a grant of European aid and with funding from the concessionaire, as well as the danger of receiving inadmissible state aid.

At the suggestion of Minister Komitova, experts from the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works, Sofia Municipality and Bulgarian Water and Sewerage Holding Ltd will work together to eliminate the remarks and submit the corrected project to the plan.

"The projects are important for the people in the small settlements, who have been waiting for years for the construction of sewerage and water supply systems. But it is also important that we submit projects in the plan that are approved and funded, not returned, "said Minister Komitova. She added that when she took office, the caretaker government found four amendments to the plan following remarks from the EC. Weaknesses identified are currently being rectified and working projects are being proposed in line with the requirements of the Recovery and Resilience Plan, the “Green Deal” and the Commission rules.

Minister Komitova informed that our country has the opportunity to submit more projects under the plan, which, if they are good and meet all requirements, can be funded. This will ensure that we have sufficient project readiness and, if one project is rejected, another will be funded.

She reminded that the needs in the water supply and sewerage sector are for several tens of billions of BGN and in many regions of the country urgent measures are needed.