The EC is to start a procedure against Bulgaria over giant steelmaker Kremikovtzi working without environmental permit. Photo by Nadya Kotseva (Sofia Photo Agency)
The European Commission has decided to start a punitive procedure against Bulgaria over Kremikovtzi's missing complex permit for operation, Bulgarian eco activists from Ekoglasnost reported.
The deadline for issuing the permit was October 30, 2007 but the Ministry of Environment and Waters did not manage to provide the document, as the steelmaker does not meet environmental protection standards, eco activists said.
According to Ekoglasnost, it is absolutely intolerable that the plant has been working for over four months without a permit.
The organisation called for the immediate closure of the plant and warned that the long-anticipated sale of Kremikovtzi could be used by the government as a pretext for delaying restrictions on the steel mill over not meeting environmental norms.