New environmental initiatives and a report on the achieved results were presented by the Municipality of Ruse

Friday, 12 June 2026

Ruse Municipality reported progress on key environmental policies and presented new initiatives for clean air and development of the green system. At today's meeting of the Public Environmental Council of Ruse Municipality, the results of the actions taken on the environmental issues raised by citizens and members of the Council were presented, as well as new initiatives aimed at improving the quality of atmospheric air and the development of the green system in the municipality.

Mayor Pencho Milkov informed the members of the Council about the meeting held with the Minister of Environment and Water, Phd. Rositsa Karamfilova-Blagova. Among the main topics of the conversation were the problems with unpleasant odors, the need for more effective control over industrial emissions, the development of air monitoring systems and the upcoming changes in waste management. The Mayor once again insisted that Ruse be included annually in the schedule of the mobile measuring station of the Ministry of Environment and Water, as well as that the municipal measuring stations be integrated into the National Environmental Monitoring System.

A significant part of the meeting was dedicated to the implementation of the decisions of the first meeting of the Council in February this year. A specialized section is now operational on the website of the Ruse Municipality, in which all documents related to the Council's activities are published, with the aim of increasing transparency and public access to information.

Particular emphasis was placed on the actions of the municipal administration to update the environmental legislation. At the end of May, the Ruse Municipality sent an official letter to the Prime Minister, the Minister of Environment and Water and the regional governor with a request to modernize the regulatory framework in accordance with the current recommendations of the World Health Organization and the European Environment Agency. Among the issues raised are the introduction of stricter standards for industrial emissions, more effective monitoring of ambient air and the creation of a national regulatory framework for the management of unpleasant odors.

As a next step, the Municipality began preparations for the creation of an expert working group to analyze the possibilities for developing local regulatory framework regarding odors. Representatives of the judiciary, the academic community and the legal community have been invited to the process. The University of Ruse and the District Court in Ruse have already expressed their readiness to assist.

Regarding the automatic monitoring station "Petar Beron", it was reported that after talks with the management of the "Angel Kanchev" Primary School, no agreement was reached on its placement in the school yard. In response to the situation that has arisen, the Municipality of Ruse has initiated a procedure for selecting a new location for the station and proposals are to be sent to the Ministry of Environment and Water, the Executive Agency for the Environment and the Regional Inspectorate for Environment and Water - Ruse for an expert assessment of potential sites.

The members of the Council were also informed about the status of the DOAS air quality monitoring system. Those present accepted the proposal that two of the members of the Council meet with Ivaylo Bazarov - a representative of the contractor company, to whom he could personally explain the system's indicators.

One of the most significant new initiatives presented during the meeting is the creation of a working group under the Public Council for the Environment, which will support the development and management of the green system on the territory of the municipality. The initiative envisages the formation of an expert team of specialists in the fields of dendrology, landscape architecture, forestry, ecology and arboriculture, as well as the establishment of a volunteer network of citizens.

With regard to the quality of the ambient air, it was reported that from the beginning of 2026 to the present, 15 days with exceedances of the norms for fine dust particles have been registered. The analysis of the data shows that the exceedances reported in 2025 were mainly related to local construction and repair activities. The current repair of Saedinenie Blvd. was cited as evidence, during which no similar deviations in the measurements were registered.

The municipality continues its active control over construction sites and sources of dust pollution. Since the beginning of the year, 33 inspections of construction sites have been carried out, acts and prescriptions have been drawn up for violations, sanctions have been imposed for unregulated pollution and over 220 tickets for parking on lawns have been issued.

Significant progress has also been reported in the implementation of the project "Green Measures in the Urban Environment", financed under the Environment Program 2021 - 2027. The project is worth nearly 1.8 million euros and provides for large-scale landscaping of Tsar Osvoboditel, Lipnik boulevards and part of Hristo Botev boulevard, as well as the improvement of inter-block spaces.

The project to replace old solid fuel heating appliances with ecological alternatives is also progressing. So far, 838 applications have been submitted by residents of Ruse and the settlements in the municipality. In 2026, inspections by technical teams began and 167 households have been visited so far, and as a result of the visits of the technical teams, a total of 285 appliances - air conditioners - have been identified. The greatest interest is in air conditioning systems.

The meeting confirmed the commitment of the Ruse Municipality to a consistent and long-term policy in the field of environmental protection, based on partnership with citizens, the scientific community and state institutions.

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