Danube River Basin District

Danube River Basin District Part B National Report BULGARIA Information required according to Art. 3 (8) and Annex I of the EU Water Framework Directive prepared by Ministry of Environment and Water

2 Table of Contents Information required according to Art. 3 (8) and Annex I WFD 1. INTRODUCTION... 3 1.1. Policy Overview... 3 1.2. Status of this report... 4 2. STRUCTURE OF THE REPORT... 4 3. INFORMATION GIVEN IN THE ROOF REPORT... 5 3.1. Competent authorities... 5 3.2. Geographical coverage of the Bulgarian part of the Danube river basin district... 7 3.3. Legal status of competent authority... 10 3.4. Responsibilities... 11 3.5. Membership... 11 3.6. International relationships... 12 3.6.1. Multilateral cooperation... 12 3.6.2. Bilateral cooperation... 12 4. LIST OF ACRONYMS... 13

3 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1. Policy Overview This report is prepared as a contribution to the basin wide efforts for implementing European Directive 2000/60/EC (the Water Framework Directive) in the Danube River Basin District. The information presented is required by art. 3(8) and Annex I of the Water Framework Directive (WFD). Though Bulgaria has no formal obligations to report at this stage, the report is prepared in line with the country s international commitments in respect to the protection and management of the river Danube and in support of Bulgaria s preparation for EU membership. Bulgaria is one of the 18 countries part of the Danube River Basin District (DRBD) and among the 13 riparian countries. Being both a Danube and a Black Sea country Bulgaria is particularly sensitive to water quality protection and sustainable use of the Danube river. Efficient water management is one of the priorities in the National environmental policy. Since 1997 when Bulgaria signed an association agreement with the European Union, the country has put significant efforts in harmonising national legislation with the EU environmental acquis. As a result, the process of transposing existing European legislation is nearly complete and priority is given to its effective implementation. The Water Framework Directive, which key principles are transposed in the Water Act of 1999 and its subsequent amendments and regulations adopted is among the most comprehensive and demanding pieces of legislation. It has formally introduced the principle of river basin management in the government s water policy. It has to be noted, however, that water management on the basis of catchment area has previously been studied and applied on a sub-basin scale in pilot projects (e.g. the Yantra River Basin Management Project (1994-95) - EU PHARE Programme; Mesta River Environmental Management Plan (1996) EU PHARE Programme; Water Quality Protection and Management in the Maritza River Basin (1996-1998) funded by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and implemented jointly with the MOEW). Elaboration of a new Water Law to fully transpose the Water Framework Directive is underway. Its adoption is planned for 2005, as agreed in the negotiations with the European Commission on Chapter 22 Environment. In addition to the EU accession related efforts in harmonising and implementing water management (environmental) legislation, Bulgaria is playing an active role in the regional multilateral agreements on water protection and use. The country is a party to the Convention on Cooperation for the Protection and Sustainable use of the Danube River (Danube River Protection Convention) signed on 29 June 1994 in Sofia which it ratified with a law passed by the 38 th National Assembly on 24 March 1999. The Convention on the Protection of the Black Sea Against Pollution (Bucharest, 1992) and the Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes (Helsinki, 1992) also provide platforms for bilateral and multilateral action on water protection and use. Bulgaria s hydrographical network is particularly dense and complex. There are not any large inland rivers. The country is divided into 4 River Basin Management Districts on the basis of catchment area (see Figure 1). Following this hydrographical criteria the river basin management units are named after the main bodies of surface water that the respective inland rivers flow into, i.e. Danube River Basin Management District (with centre Pleven) Black Sea River Basin Management District (with centre Varna) East Aegean River Basin Management District (with centre Plovdiv) West Aegean River Basin Management District (with centre Blagoevgrad)

4 Figure 1. River Basin Management Districts in Bulgaria 1.2. Status of this report* As currently Bulgaria has no formal obligations to report to the European Commission in the format and timeframe envisaged in the WFD, this document is essentially a result of Bulgaria s will to contribute to the joint efforts of the Danube countries for the preparation of a management plan for the Danube River Basin District. The document is not final and might be amended and updated at the time when this information will be formally submitted to the European Commission. * The word report instead of information is used throughout this document for consistency with the terminology used in part A of the document regarding the Danube River Basin District. 2. STRUCTURE OF THE REPORT Following a decision of the International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River (ICPDR) information required according to Art. 3(8) and Annex I WFD is divided into two parts. Part A (roof report) gives information of basin wide importance and part B (national report) gives all relevant information on the national level and in greater detail. Part A - Roof report with information required in 2003 has been prepared with the contribution of Danube river basin countries with the valuable support and coordination of the ICPDR and its Secretariat.

5 The information needed to fulfil the requirements of Art. 3(8) and Annex I WFD is covered in Part A (roof report) and Part B (national reports) as shown in Table 1. Table 1. Contents of Part A and Part B Part A Roof report Part B National reports 1. Name and address of the competent authority X X 2. Geographical coverage of the river basin district X X 3. Legal status status of competent authority X 4. Responsibilities X 5. Membership X 6. International relationships X X 3. INFORMATION GIVEN IN THE ROOF REPORT 3.1. Competent authorities The requirements of Art. 3(2) of the WFD concerning administrative arrangements and identification of the appropriate competent authority, for the application of the rules of this Directive within each river basin have been met with provisions in Section II Water Management Bodies of the Water Law. Competent authorities in the Bulgarian part of the Danube River Basin District are shown in Figure 2 and contact details provided in Table 2: National level Council of Ministers Minister of Environment and Water Danube river basin level (Director) Danube River Basin Directorate Coordination body (between national and river basin level) Water Directorate Ministry of Environment and Water

6 Figure 2. Competent authorities for the implementation of WFD in the Bulgarian part of the DRBD Table 2. Contact details of competent authorities Level of competence National National River Basin Coordinating level Competent Authority Council of Ministers Minister of Environment and Water Director - Danube River Basin Directorate Water Directorate Ministry of Environment and Water Address 1, Dondukov Blvd. Sofia 1194 67, W. Gladstone St. Sofia 1000 1, Vassil Levski St., office 1608 Pleven 5800 P. O. Box 1237 22, Maria Luisa Blvd. Sofia 1000 Telephone, Fax, E-mail T. + 359 2 940 2999 Tel. + 359 2 9882577 Fax + 359 2 986 2533 E-mail: slavv@moew.government.bg Tel. + 359 64 803279 Fax: + 359 64 803342 E-mail: bd_dr_pl@yahoo.com Tel. + 359 2 940 6505 Fax + 359 2 980 9641 E-mail: vro@moew.government.bg

7 The River Basin Directorates are regional bodies of the Ministry of Environment and Water. The link between the River Basin Directorates is provided by the Water Directorate of the MOEW. This administrative unit of the central government authority also carries out the coordination between activities at national and basin level; supports the Minister of Environment and Water in his/her capacity of a national competent authority, including contribution on an expert level in preparing Council of Ministers decisions on issues within the scope of the Water Law (WFD respectively). The Water Directorate provides methodological guidance to the River Basin Directorates on a broad range of issues within their competence, inter alia river basin management. The Water Directorate of the Ministry of Environment and Water is also the department immediately responsible for the implementation of the International Convention on the Protection and Sustainable use of the Danube River as far as Bulgaria is concerned. In this sense the Ministry of Environment and Water is the competent authority for the implementation of the WFD with regard to the Bulgarian part of the Danube River Basin District. 3.2. Geographical coverage of the Bulgarian part of the Danube river basin district The Bulgarian part of the DRBD is situated in the South-eastern part of the basin (see Figure 3). The river Danube serves as a northern border of Bulgaria (except for a small stretch of surface border) in the North-East. No parts of the river pass through Bulgarian territory. The surface area of the Bulgarian part of the Danube River Basin District is 47 413* km2, i.e. 43% of the total surface area of the country. The coordinates** from East to West and from South to North are Longitude 22 o 21 31 and 28 o 01 12 and Latitude 42 o 05 24 and 44 o 13 12. *,** - defined on the basis of the DRBD Overview Map The Danube River Basin Management District includes all Danube tributaries whose river networks are formed on Bulgarian territory and from there flow into the Danube river. The only exception is Nishava river with some of its tributaries which catch water on Bulgarian territory before crossing the border with Serbia and Montenegro and later on flow into the Danube from the territory of this country. The main Danube tributaries in Bulgaria collect their water from the Northern Balkan Mountain slopes, with the exception of the the upstream part of the Iskar river and Dobrudja rivers in the Eastern part of the basin.

8 Figure 3. Danube River Basin District Overview Map Characteristics of the main tributaries of the Bulgarian part of the Danube river basin The Water Law defines the coverage of the Bulgarian part of the Danube river basin on the basis of catchment areas of the main Bulgarian tributaries of the Danube river. Based on this description 6 major sub-basins could be defined as follows (shown on Figure 4): Ogosta river and rivers West of Ogosta Iskar river Vit river Osam river Yantra river Roussenski lom river and rivers West of the groundwater shed of the Malm-Valange horizon

Figure 4. Main sub-basins in the Bulgarian part of the Danube River Basin 9

10 Ogosta river starts its way from Chiprovska river springing from Vraja glava peak at the border with Serbia and Montenegro. In its upstream part it cuts through mountainous areas with steep slopes. The relief in Ogosta midstream and downstream sections changes form semi-mountainous to plain. Iskar is the only river in the Bulgarian part of the Danube river basin which springs in the southern part of the country. Its source is in the Rila mountain and its upstream section collects water from Vitosha, Lyulin, Plana mountains and the southern slopes of the Balkan mountainbefore cutting through the latter by the Iskar gorge. With its 368 km Iskar is the longest Bulgarian tributary of the Danube river and also has the largest catchment area in the Bulgarian part of the DRB 8684 km 2. Vit river leads its way from the northern slopes of the Balkan mountain. Its length is 189 km and it has a long and narrow catchment area of about 3220 km 2, and a small number of tributaries (about 10 rivers exceeding 10 km in length). Osam river is formed by the confluence of Cherni Osam and Beli Osam rivers near the town of Troyan. Both of these main tributaries spring from the northern slopes of the middle section of the Balkan Mountain. It is 314 km long and has a small catchment area of just over 2800 km 2. The small number of tributaries it has are relatively short. Yantra river is the second largest among Bulgarian tributaries of the Danube in terms of catchment area 7879 km 2 and length of 285 km. Its spring is at an altitude of about 1340 m at Hadji Dimitar peak in the Balkan Mountain. Yantra has 30 tributaries of length above 10 km, the longest among them being Rositsa river. Roussenski lom river is 197 km long and unlike the other main tributaries of the Danube starts its way from the relatively low part of the Danube Plain. 3.3. Legal status of competent authority The Council of Ministers is the supreme executive body in the country. The Ministry of Environment and Water is a national executive body, part of central government in Bulgaria. The Ministry, established as a Ministry of Environment in 1990 (Decision No.173 of the Ninth National Assembly, 8 February 1990) took over the main function and responsibilities of the Environmental Protection Committee to the Council of Ministers. In 1997 the Ministry of Environment was restructured in view of its enlarged responsibilities in some areas, including water management. The name of the Ministry was changed to Ministry of Environment and Water to reflect functional changes (Decision of the National Assembly from 21 May 1997 on structural changes to the Council of Ministers). The Danube River Basin Directorate is a body of the Ministry of Environment and Water, established together with the remaining three River Basin Directorates by an Order of the Minister of Environment and Water (Order RD-27 of 17 January 2002) following the provisions of the Water Law (Article153 and Article 154, paragraph 1). River Basin Directorates responsibilities are set in the Water Law with the Statute for activities, organisation of work and the staff of River Basin Directorates (State Gazette, issue 10 of 2002) specifying their responsibilities and functions.

11 3.4. Responsibilities Key responsibilities of competent authorities are specified in the Water Law and in the Statutes for organization and activity of each authority, as follows: Council of Ministers! adopts National Water Plan;! adopts national programmes for water management;! gives concessions/permissions on water use in specific cases; Ministry of Environment and Water! develops the national water policy and national programs;! develops National Water Plan;! approves RMB Plans;! develops the national policy for bilateral and multilateral cooperation in water management;! gives concessions/permissions on water use in specific cases;! other responsibilities - monitoring; information;! establishes the River Basin Directorates, defines their activities and administrative organisation; Danube River Basin Directorate! organizes the preparation of the water management plans for its basin district;! issues permits according to the Water law;! manages information databases on water resources and water quality;! control compliance with requirements set in permits and concessions under the Water Law;! controls the state of water bodies;! controls the state of water infrastructure systems and utilities;! manages water exclusive state property that is not given to concession;! collects fees* for water use and for discharges into water bodies. * Fees collected are transferred to the Enterprise for Management of Environmental Protection Activities which funds priority environmental projects at preferential terms and conditions. The Danube River Basin Directorate carries out these functions in cooperation with the Executive Environment Agency (with respect to monitoring) and the Regional Inspectorates of Environment and Water (with respect to control activities). Activities of the Danube River Basin Directorate are also supported by the Danube Basin Council a consultative body involving a wide range of stakeholders. (Basin Councils function in the four River Basin Management Districts in Bulgaria). 3.5. Membership The MOEW through its Water Directorate coordinates the activities of the 4 River Basin Directorates which are MOEW bodies. MOEW also coordinates water monitoring and control activities of the 15 Regional Inspectorates of Environment and Water and the Executive Environment Agency. The Water Directorate ensures coordination of river basin management related activities at international, national and river basin level. MOEW exercise/provide support for the implementation of the Council of Ministers responsibilities under the Water Law.

12 3.6. International relationships International cooperation is among the priority aspects of Bulgarian environmental policy. Following national legislation provisions, the MOEW is the institution responsible for implementing international commitments and obligations in the area of environment and for undertaking and coordinating respective activities on a national scale. Water is one of the environment areas where international cooperation is crucial both in multilateral and bilateral terms. 3.6.1. Multilateral cooperation As a party to the Convention on Cooperation for the Protection and Sustainable use of the Danube River, Bulgaria takes part in the basin wide efforts for developing a management plan for the Danube River Basin District. These joint activities of the Danube countries, coordinated by the Secretariat of the ICPDR contribute to capacity building of Bulgarian institutions and staff which enables Bulgarian representatives to promote WFD principles in the work of the Commission for the Protection of the Black Sea Against Pollution. 3.6.2. Bilateral cooperation Framework agreements on ministerial or governmental level for cooperation in the area of environment have been signed with nearly all countries in the Danube River Basin District. These agreements generally include several key areas of cooperation, including water quality protection and/or water management. The agreements specify the mechanisms for cooperation: usually a Joint Commission or working groups are set up with chairpersons/coordinators nominated by each of the two parties. Cooperation is carried out on the basis of bilateral work programmes. Existing bilateral agreement have not concluded with the specific objective to ensure coordination of water management issues, as most of them have been signed before the adoption of the WFD in 2000. Nevertheless, cooperation mechanisms established allow satisfactory level of bilateral coordination on transboundary water management issues. Along with progress of activities for the preparation of the management plan for the DRBD, the benefits of separate bilateral agreements on water management are being considered, especially agreements with neighboring countries. Currently, the Convention between the Government of the Republic of Bulgaria and the Government of Romania on Environmental Cooperation (1992) and the Protocol between the Ministry of Environment of the Republic of Bulgaria and the Ministry of Environment of the Republic of Serbia on Cooperation in the Area of Environmental Protection (1996) are the bilateral agreements of immediate relevance to transboundary cooperation requirements of the WFD. Priority in establishing separate bilateral agreements on water management will be given to agreements with neighboring countries.

13 4. LIST OF ACRONYMS DRB Danube river basin DRBD Danube river basin district EU European Union ICPDR International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River MOEW Ministry of Environment and Water UNDP United Nations Development Programme WFD Water Framework Directive