Millions of levs over the last decade went to devising strategies for the development of water sector. The common thing between them is that they all pointed to the need of serious reforms and investment in this key area, but ultimately little of what was written was carried out. An exception to this general rule is hardly likely to take place under the government of GERB, although in mid-April it officially presented for public comments its National Strategy for the management and development of water sector until 2035. As it may be expected, it will not soon take a legally binding form.
According to the insiders, the strategy will almost certainly remain for the autumn due to intra-party disagreements caused mostly by the fact that it includes not only water and sanitation, but also hydropower and irrigation. The area that is covered by the draft bill needs investments totalling BGN43 billion, a bombastic sum, for which and even the Minister of EU Funds. Tomislav Donchev, admitted is difficult to be provided.
For the next programming period (Editor’s Note: 2014-2020) on improvement of water and sanitation sector around BGN2 billion will be earmarked by the European Union. But if we rely on Brussels, we need additional 5 to 20 programming periods and probably nobody of us is that patient, said Mr. Donchev.
Criticism was expressed by the former Deputy Minister of Regional Development and current Member of Parliament of the socialist party, Dimcho Mihalevski. there is no financial institution that would not be taken aback by the mere mentioning of the amount of BGN43 billion. The government has to focus only on the water sector, where with BGN6 billion provided by the European Union in the next two programming periods as well as with additional BGN3 billion coming from the state, the situation can be significantly improved, Mr. Mihalevski pointed out. According to him priority should be given to the more populated places, not to villages where the new infrastructure would increase significantly the overall cost and where people can use septic tanks.
Apparently, rulers from GERB are not all blind to the obvious loopholes in the water strategy. For example, Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Regional Policy and Local Government, Luben Tatarski, recently put forward his idea that the regulation of the water sector should be separated from the irrigation and drainage, mineral and marine waters in a separate law. Such views are supported in other departments and agencies, who claim that otherwise the entire water sector would be not well-balanced.
As a matter of fact, the proposal contained in the new water strategy according to which the water management operators should be reduced from 54 to 28 has already produced a sharp reaction from the National Association of Municipalities. The organization said this was contrary to EU directives and will create monopolies of certain operators.
The delaying in the official adoption of a new strategy, however, will again slow down the possibilities for the formation of public-private partnerships in the water sector. Because, in order to come and invest in the country big companies want a clear political will and stable solutions. This is something, at least at this stage, the current Cabinet cannot offer them. Along with this strategy, it is not yet clear what awaits in the future the bill for public-private partnerships, which was severely criticized by all political forces and is to be discussed in parliamentary committees again.
