Bulgaria has Obtained 0.82% of EU Funds for Clean Air

Despite the widely-declared "fight" of the government with the dirty air, it appears that Bulgaria can not absorb almost any European funds aimed at improving the environment. The Sega newspaper reported that our country has absorbed exactly 0.82% of the money earmarked for tackling the dirty air problem under the Environment program.

The biggest problem is related to the development and updating of the municipal air quality programs, which are currently lagging behind, show the data of the system for reporting the money on the European programs. The budget for the clean air measure is over 115 million levs, but Bulgaria is obviously not in a hurry to receive them. Similar is the situation with another major problem - it turns out that our country has absorbed only 2.61% of the total over 153 million BGN, provided for the prevention and management of the risk of floods and landslides.

Measures to combat dirty air and to prevent floods and landslides have been highlighted as priorities by the government. In Sofia, however, the fight against dirty air seems to be doomed. The idea of ​​putting a cheaper "green ticket" in public transport during days of increased pollution in practice has failed, because the system was used 1-2 times and can be perceived as a PR action rather than a long term solution. There were no cases of parking restrictions that would help citizens to breathe more easily. The dirty air has been making many unhappy citizens go on the street several times for protests. One of the latest protests was by residents of the Krasna Polyana Quarter, who in the winter and the colder months "fall victim to" heavy pollution due to the burning of all materials like tires, clothes, plastic, etc. in the surrounding poor neighborhoods.

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