Bulgaria may face the possibility of a new criminal procedure initiated by the European Commission due to air pollution concerns. Reneta Koleva, Deputy Minister of Environment and Water, discussed the potential legal action in an interview with News.bg, highlighting issues related to the pollution levels of fine dust particles.

During a recent press conference, Koleva announced new measures aimed at combating fine dust particles through the National Air Quality Monitoring System, which operates in over 30 locations across the country. The national system comprises 48 monitoring points, including 30 automatic stations, 4 forest monitoring sites, 5 optical systems, and 9 manual sampling points, all of which comply with European and Bulgarian legislation.

Out of the 48 stationary points, 30 will be replaced, while 18 new ones will be added to enhance the monitoring system. Koleva warned that Bulgaria could face legal repercussions if it fails to demonstrate sustainable improvements in air quality nationwide. She pointed out that the European Commission assesses air quality across the entire country, and there remains one area—specifically the Plovdiv agglomeration—where acceptable limits for fine dust particles have not been met.

Koleva assured that the Ministry of Environment and Water consistently provides accurate air quality data to the European executive agency and the European Commission. "We maintain ongoing communication with the EC to prevent new legal actions against Bulgaria," she stated. She also addressed concerns regarding allegations of manipulated air quality data, asserting that the data collected is encrypted and securely transmitted, making it impossible to alter.

The press center of the Ministry of Environment and Water reported that the European Commission has closed four criminal procedures against Bulgaria while opening a new one related to environmental violations. Three of these procedures had reached the reasoned opinion stage, the final step before referral to the Court of Justice of the EU, and were initiated in 2019 and 2020 for non-compliance with three directives. These directives pertain to emissions from industrial sources, environmental impact assessments for public and private projects, and control of major accident hazards.

With changes to the Environmental Protection Act published in the State Gazette in 2022, Bulgaria has addressed these violations. Additionally, a fourth criminal procedure that began in autumn 2022 was closed after Bulgaria submitted its long-term strategy for managing the Energy Union and addressing climate change, which had been delayed for nearly two years.

However, the European Commission has also decided to file a claim against Bulgaria in the Court of Justice of the EU for not meeting obligations under the EU Regulation concerning the management of invasive alien species. This criminal procedure was initiated in June 2021, and the Ministry is actively working to comply with its commitments. The decision to bring cases against Bulgaria also affects five other member states: Ireland, Greece, Italy, Latvia, and Portugal.