Of course, the BSP is in government. Mr. Borisov exaggerated today because the BSP had a different position regarding the amount of pension indexation, and before that we did not agree with the proposed budget. In the end, a solution was found. The Swiss rule was included in the draft budget, but the formula was changed. This was stated by the Minister of Ecology Manol Genov in “Face to Face” on bTV, quoted by novini.bg.
He was categorical that there will be no reduction in pensions. “The expected increase will take place according to the Swiss rule. The BSP in this government is the political guarantor of the interests of the socially disadvantaged, of those strata that depend on the state's social payments,” said the minister.
We are all partners in this government, Genov emphasized.
In connection with Delyan Peevski's words about discipline, Manol Genov said that he does not feel disciplined, but is doing his job.
Regarding the problem of water scarcity, the Minister of Environment listed several reasons: “The scale in recent years has been unusual. Groundwater levels have dropped sharply due to the lack of precipitation. 2022 and 2023 are some of the driest years worldwide. We control and manage water, we are based on the forecasts of the National Institute of Hydrology, we constantly monitor the levels of the 52 significant dams. Water for drinking and domestic needs, for irrigation and for industry has the advantage. These are our priorities”, explained Genov. He admitted that there have been cases where the quantities of water supplied have been reduced.
He reassured the citizens that by relying on the spring snowmelt, the volumes of the dams will be filled.
"We constantly complain that the price of water was high, even unbearable. But in our country we still do not distinguish between necessity and luxury. I recently spoke to a man who told me that he had a swimming pool. It costs him 60 leva to fill it. He says that he prefers to fill it again and again and pay for it than to use purification agents, because they were more expensive for him than drinking water. In other words, the BSP has been saying for a long time that we must determine some kind of fairness in the price, i.e. the more water you use, the more expensive it is to pay per cubic meter, he commented.
It is high time to introduce two tariffs for water consumption, and when a person exceeds 2.8 cubic meters, which is considered a normal amount worldwide for one person, to pay a higher tariff, the minister pointed out.
He explained that in this way a socially acceptable price would be achieved, and on the other hand there would be enough money for the water supply companies to start making investments in the extremely outdated infrastructure.