site.btaCouncil of Ministers’ Decisions

At its regular meeting on Wednesday, the Council of Ministers transacted business as follows: 

- approved a draft interregional cooperation programme, URBACT IV 2021-2027, with a total budget of nearly 106 million euro. The draft ensures Bulgaria’s full participation in the programme, which promotes the exchange of knowledge and good practices between cities and various governance levels, integrated sustainable development, and an effective urban cohesion policy, among others. The Cabinet also approved the provision of public national co-funding amounting to 15 per cent of the approved budget of the Bulgarian partners in projects under URBACT IV;

- adopted a comprehensive assessment for high-efficiency heating production. The assessment looks into the potential for developing efficient regional heating and cooling systems in Bulgaria; it is a technical and economic methodology with an analysis of costs and benefits to be used in the taking of well-founded investment decisions. The document was drafted in conformity with all EU Member States’ obligations under Directive (EU) 2018/2002 of the European Parliament and of the Council of December 11, 2018 amending Directive 2012/27/EU on Energy Efficiency;

- approved an annual report for 2021 on the progress made in the implementation of the measures under the 2021-2025 Action Plan with the National Strategy for Financial Literacy; 

- affirmed the annual estimates of account of EU funds in the National Fund for 2022. The decision provides financial resource for the efficient implementation of projects under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, under EU-funded programmes and financial aid instruments;

- transferred to the Bulgarian News Agency (BTA) the management of a part of a building in Turgovishte (Northeastern Bulgaria) that is public state property, so that the BTA can develop its information activity in the region;  

- proposes that Parliament ratify a November 2021 agreement between the governments of Bulgaria and Finland on the termination of their 1997 Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement;

- proposes that Parliament ratify an agreement between the defence ministries of Bulgaria and the Hellenic Republic on the provision of maintenance of a Hellenic military formation in relation to the implementation of a mission of the maritime patrol aviation. Such missions carried out in the Black Sea are part of the measures for NATO's enhanced forward presence. The Bulgarian side services the air traffic and provides maintenance for the aircraft and flight crews of the Hellenic Air Force at a Bulgarian military airport;  

- proposes that Parliament ratify a second amendment to the Memorandum of Understanding regarding the acquisition, use and maintenance of strategic airlift capabilities (C-17 aircraft)  between Bulgaria’s Ministry of Defence and the defence ministries of Estonia, Finland, Lithuania, Norway, and Slovenia, the governments of Hungary, Romania, and Sweden,  the defence ministers of the Netherlands and Poland, and the US Department of Defense; 

- proposes that the President confer the Order of the Balkan Range, second class without ribbon, on Prof. Atanas Kourtev  for his exceptionally big contributions in the field of culture and art;

- approved a draft technical agreement regarding the Command of the Multinational Headquarters with 2nd Operational Reserve Forces Battalion (MN HQ 2nd ORF BN) with NATO’s Stabilisation Force in Kosovo and the European Union Force in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Bulgaria will participate in the Multinational Headquarters with ten service members, and with a commander in the year Bulgaria hosts the Headquarters;

- approved a request for technical support at the European Commission’s special invitation within the Technical Support Instrument aimed at supporting Member States in addressing specific needs related to the Russian invasion in Ukraine. The Bulgarian request aims to examine the opportunities for limiting the country’s energy dependence on the import of fossil fuels from Russia. Should the European Commission approve the request, the costs for its implementation will be covered entirely by the Technical Support Instrument; 

- approved 827,378 leva in compensations to families whose children could not acquire a place at a kindergarten. Of these resources, 823,784 leva will go to Sofia Municipality and the rest, to Plovdiv Municipality;

- designated the Prime Minister head of the National Council on Anti-Corruption Policies (NCAP) and tasked the Chief Inspectorate with the Council of Ministers with the functions of NCAP secretariat. The NCAP is an inter-ministerial body with advisory, coordination and control functions with regard to the development and implementation of policies in the field of prevention and countering corruption; 

- approved a bill on the collection of debts under consumer contracts. The document aims to stop bad practices in the work of debt collection companies by introducing strict and clear rules and restrictions banning pressure on citizens; 

- approved a bill to amend and supplement the Maritime Space, Inland Waterways and Ports of the Republic of Bulgaria Act,  thus transposing Directive (EU) 2019/883 of the European Parliament and of the Council of April 17, 2019 on Port Reception Facilities for the Delivery of Waste from Ships. The draft amendments stipulate that the exploitation costs of port installations for processing waste from ships will be covered through tax collection, and set the principles for determining the amount of these taxes;  

- approved a draft trilateral agreement on the donation of 500,000 doses of the Vaxzevria vaccine against COVID-19 between Bulgaria, Uganda and AstraZeneca, as well as a draft bilateral agreement on this donation between Bulgaria and Uganda as a basis for negotiations.