The EU Commission May Sanction Bulgaria For Domestic Waste

The European Commission has commissioned a study on the application of the ''polluter pays'' principle in all EU Member States, including Bulgaria, reported Econ.bg

This study is completed and the results are being processed and evaluated.

"The Commission will not hesitate to take action against Member States where national legislation and / or practice is not in line with the polluter-pays principle," the EC's Environment General Director said to the Bulgarian Industrial Association.

The reason for the letter is a complaint to the European Commission  filed by BIA against the determination of the municipal waste tax in Bulgaria on the basis of the value of the property or the carrying amount of the assets instead of the amount of waste generated.

In its letter, the Commission informed the Commission services that it had thoroughly considered the complaint and found that the Bulgarian legislation provided for concrete measures to implement the polluter pays principle of 2015, but the national authorities for several consecutive years postponed the entry into force of the these measures.

"According to the information available to the Commission, the latest amendments to the Local Taxes and Fees Act provide an appropriate methodology for calculating the municipal waste tax. Unfortunately, the national authorities have decided to postpone the entry into force of the relevant provisions by 2022, " the letter said.

Due to the fact that a pan-European survey has already been carried out, the Commission services have decided to stop the investigation of BIA's complaint, but will, if necessary, take action against Bulgaria on their own initiative.

We recall that since 2003, BIA has been trying to change the way of calculating the domestic waste taxes, incl. through proposals for regulatory changes, formal opinions to all competent institutions, court procedures, etc. As a result of these efforts, in 2015 the normative problem was resolved, but the entry into force of the legal changes was postponed several times.

We need your support so Novinite.com can keep delivering news and information about Bulgaria! Thank you!