The European Commission has approved the application form for the second stage of the construction of the waste treatment plant in Sofia.

The announcement for the completion of the latest step towards the implementation of a modern waste management solution in Bulgaria's capital was made by Sofia Mayor Yordanka Fandakova and Deputy Mayor Maria Boyadzhiyska at a special press conference on Wednesday.

The project for the new waste treatment facility in Sofia was launched in 2007 and the state co-financing of the project was secured at the first sitting of the center-right GERB government in 2009, dnevnik.bg reminds.

In July 2011, the EC approved the first stage of the project including the construction of a non-hazardous waste landfill and two composting plants and the improvement of the existing municipal waste separation facility in Suhodol.

The EC also gave the green light to financing for a pilot project for separate collection of waste in the residential districts of Ovcha Kupel and Kremikovtsi.

In the fall of 2011, however, the second stage, which included the construction of the mechanic and biological treatment plant, was stopped by the European Commission.

The EC delayed its approval of the project and the funding of stage 2 to request additional information on the VAT on the project and the type of the municipal company set up to run the facility.

A new procedure was launched to prepare a new application form and shed light on the additional questions.

The total cost of the project is BGN 210 M, including EU funding, state funding, municipal funding, and a loan from the European Investment Bank (EIB).

The waste treatment facility is to process 410 000 tonnes of waste per year.

The Sofia Municipality is yet to complete the procedure for selecting a contractor and to complete the construction works within the deadline.

The Sofia Municipality must also decide how to dispose of waste until the new plant starts functioning because the Suhodol landfill will be full at the beginning of 2013.