Ivelina Vasileva

The parliamentary group of Bulgaria's main ruling party GERB restated its firm support for Environment Minister Ivelina Vasileva on Tuesday.

This comes after the oppositional Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) had demanded earlier on Tuesday the resignation of Vasileva due to the damages caused by the recent floods in the country.

The Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) on Tuesday demanded the resignation of Environment Minister Ivelina Vasileva over damages caused by torrential rains in recent days.

According to opposition Socialists, the resignation was the least that could be demanded, but the ultimate responsibility rested with Prime Minister Boyko Borisov, Darik radio reports.

The European Commission has restored over BGN 438 M in blocked payments for November and December 2014 to Bulgaria, according to Environment Minister Ivelina Vasileva.

Vasileva told mediapool.bg Sunday that Brussels had restored payments under the program with an official decision date November 14.

Bulgaria's Environment Minister Ivelina Vasileva announced on Wednesday that BGN 13 M will be added to the national budget in 2015 from payments received by the National Trust Eco Fund.

Bulgaria runs the risk of having just EUR 22 M under Operational Program Environment locked for 2014, compared to EUR 205 M in the previous year, the country's Environment Minister has said.

Ivelina Vasileva told reporters on Monday Sofia was putting in effort to speed up absorption procedures and to avoid all corrections.

A concession agreement to build a ski zone in Bansko passed by the previous elected government in 2013 has been revised by the cabinet, officials say.

The European Commission has approved the measures for improved management and control of the Environment Programme, proposed by Bulgaria, reports the BNR public broadcaster, quoting Brussels sources.

Bulgaria's new Environment Minister, Ivelina Vasileva, has vowed to keep the 2012 moratorium on the exploration and production of shale gas through hydraulic fracturing.

In a Sunday interview for bTV, Vasileva insisted that the authorities would not allow illegal and uncontrolled construction.
She pledged clearly mapped protected areas on the Black Sea coast.

Ivelina Vasileva is Minister of Environment and Waters in the minority coalition government of GERB party and the Reformist Bloc led by Boyko Borisov that took office on Friday.

Vasileva was elected member of parliament running on GERB ticket in October 5 snap vote.

In 2012, she was Deputy Minister of Environment and Waters in Borisov's previous government.