Bulgarian Socialists: Sofia Waste Plant Project Flopped

The waste depot at Tsalapitsa near Plovdiv has accepted 100 000 tons of waste from Sofia. Photo by BGNES

The cabinet of the ruling, center-right Bulgarian GERB party is concealing a letter from the European Commission saying it would not fund the waste processing plant near the capital Sofia.

The information was reported by the leader of the opposition Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) and former Prime Minister, Sergey Stanishev, who reminded that in May 2009, his successor and then Mayor of Sofia, Boyko Borisov, broke grounds at the plant, promising it would be finished in a year and a half – a deadline that is fast approaching.

Stanishev further accused the Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria (GERB) cabinet in using its power to manage municipal properties and supported the City Hall of the second largest city of Plovdiv in the decision to not accept another 30 000 tons of waste from Sofia.

The Socialist leader stated Plovdiv, and for that matter no municipality, is obligated to suffer for the ignorance of those managing Sofia, adding Borisov promised to pay the Plovdiv City Hall over BGN 26 M as compensation for taking 100 000 tons of the capital's waste, but the money is yet to arrive.

"My cabinet fulfilled all its obligation to municipalities which agreed to take Sofia's waste – BGN 50 M to Plovdiv, BGN 20 M to Silistra, and BGN 17 M to Karlovo," the former PM pointed out.

According to Stanishev, GERB had wasted half of the fiscal reserve left by his own Three-Party cabinet – from BGN 8.2 B down to BGN 4.5 B to remain by the end of 2010.

The Socialist leader reiterated promises to stage along with the other main opposition party – the ethnic Turkish Movement for Rights and Freedoms (DPS), a no-confidence vote against the cabinet, informing talks would continue on September 22.

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