Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2025 All Rights Reserved

Press review

Photo: library

Bulgaria’s printed media accentuate on Thursday on the decision of the European Court of Justice related to the lawsuit against Bulgaria on violation of an EU directive on ambient air quality and cleaner air in Europe. The EU court has found Bulgaria guilty for systematic and constant exceeding of EU norms on fine particulate matter on the territory of the whole country.The case against Sofia was initiated by the European Commission. So far, Bulgaria has not been sentenced to pay fines. However, that country received an ultimatum to bring air quality into EU norms, Sega daily informs on its first pages. The article of that newspaper specifies that Bulgaria has been sentenced by the European Court of Justice, because it exceeded the norms of fine particulate matter. According to information of the European Environment Agency, Bulgaria is the country with most polluted air in the whole EU. If that county and its municipalities fail to take measures aimed at reducing the level of fine dust particles, it may be sentenced to pay a lump-sum or daily fines. Those fines would be paid until Bulgaria eliminates the infringement completely, Sega daily specifies. Bulgaria has not done anything to reduce the level of fine particulate matter in the past 6 years, Capital daily notes on Thursday. The newspaper further informs that Bulgaria’s main excuse was connected with the social and economic situation. It could not solve the problem related to the level of fine dust particles due to the sources of pollution- home heating and automobile transport. Moreover, many Bulgarians have been burning coal during the winter periods, because they have been experiencing financial difficulties, the newspaper further informs. However, that excuse was rejected by the European Court of Justice, Capital daily writes. Trud daily quotes lawyer Mihail Ekimdzhiev who initiated a civil lawsuit against Plovdiv Municipality over the high levels of air pollution in that Bulgarian city. “The decision of the European Court of Justice was expected, because Bulgaria has not taken any serious and adequate measures to solve that problem since its accession in the EU in 2007". Since then that country has been among the EU member states with most polluted air. According to the EU directive on ambient air, the daily limit should not be exceeded in more than 35 days in a calendar year. However, the daily limits in the city of Plovdiv were exceeded in over 200 days in some calendar years.

English version: Kostadin Atanasov


Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

Traditional Crafts Week starts in Plovdiv

Week of Traditional Crafts will be held from July 1 to 5 in the courtyard of the Regional Ethnographic Museum - Plovdiv, the museum announced. From 9:00 to 19:00, more than 40 craftsmen will present the wealth of traditional crafts...

published on 7/1/25 6:05 AM

The weather on Tuesday will remain warm to hot with highs of 29 to 37°C

On Tuesday , the lowest temperatures will be between 16 to 22°C. In Sofia it will be 16°C. During the day, the cloudiness from the north-east will decrease, but over the southeastern regions of Bulgaria before noon and over many..

published on 6/30/25 7:15 PM

Border checks on the Bulgarian-Romanian border to be lifted at midnight

EU Commissioner for Home Affairs and Migration Magnus Brunner, together with Bulgarian Interior Minister Daniel Mitov and Greek Deputy Minister for Migration and Asylum Sevi Vouloudaki, visited the Kulata-Promachonas border crossing between Bulgaria..

published on 6/30/25 5:59 PM