© Julia Lazarova
– © Borislav Sandov, Personal archive – © Vera Staevska, Personal archive – Borislav Sandov in 2017 at the Kartali educational camp of the Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds In nature, the wind vane turns immediately to the wind, but in Bulgaria, where changes are not liked, it is slower. “ This says in interview for “Dnevnik” in early June, Borislav Sandov, co-chairman of the Green Movement party. The conversation is about the goal of making the European economy carbon neutral by 2050 and how this will change the lives of Bulgarians. In it he explains that “due to the warming, citrus, olives and dates will be grown here. At the current levels of rising temperatures by 2050, half of Bulgaria’s territory will have a lasting Mediterranean climate. The crops that are now growing. grown in southern Bulgaria will have to move to Dobrudja and higher fields, such as Sofia “. For the country in 2050, he says, “I imagine Bulgaria, which has greenery and people are more smiling. A place where everyone gets the energy they need. On the roof, for example. Or participates in an energy cooperative and does not have to to think about your electricity bills. “ The new role that Sandov will take in two days suggests that he will be able to work actively for changes that will lead to similar medium-term and long-term effects. His post in the future coalition government brings together the roles of Deputy Prime Minister for Climate and Minister of Environment and Water. The options for separating the position of were discussed in the negotiations Deputy Prime Minister for Climateto coordinate this horizontal policy in all ministries concerned, but ultimately the responsibility remained with the Minister of Environment and Water. Sandov himself was nominated by the quota of “Democratic Bulgaria”, which enters the government with three ministers, and before that he was elected after a vote in the National Green Council. Shortly after being introduced as part of the future cabinet, Sandov told Dnevnik about his future work that “business and nature are not in conflict. If we look at current policies and business practices at European and global level, we will see that the interaction business – nature is potential and only those dependent on old industries continue to label it as “conflict”. Sandov told the media that he wants Bulgaria not to be among the “doubles” in this area. Borislav Sandov was born in Madan, 39, married and without children. He has a university degree in geography and an incomplete master’s degree in hydroclimatic resources management. He was one of the founders of the Greens political party in 2008, which was renamed the Green Movement two years ago. Sandov has also been co-chairman of the party for six years, resigning in 2014. after the failed negotiations with the Reformist bloc, but was re-elected in 2019. Between 2015 and 2018 he was co-chair of the Balkan Greens. This is the shortest business card of the future minister. © Stefan Avramov, Bulgarian Biodiversity Foundation – Borislav Sandov at a nature conservation camp for bird identification in December 2007. Sandov is among the party’s founders who enter politics after actively participating in the non-governmental environmental sector. He was a member of the environmental coalition “For Nature to Remain in Bulgaria” as chairman of the association “UNECE” – Student Club for Ecology and Sustainable Development at Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski.” He has been a member of Green Balkans since 2000 – the oldest environmental organization in Bulgaria, and since 2005 of the civil group “Let’s Save Irakli” – both organizations are members of “For Nature to Remain”. I imagine a country where people eat clean food and know where and by whom it was grown and have the opportunity to participate in this process on their roof gardens or garden cities. – in an interview with “Dnevnik” – June 2021. — He is an active participant in NGO coalitions, which are fighting against the development of new nuclear facilities in Bulgaria and for adaptation to climate change. He is also recognized as a participant in protests for judicial reform and protection of wildlife in Bulgaria, an active member of the Association for Organic Agriculture and organizer for Bulgaria of the European Citizens’ Initiative for the Protection of Bees. Participates in various volunteer causes – nature conservation camps of the Society for the Protection of Birds and actions for beaches for nature tourism. Due to his experience as an environmentalist and initiator of lawsuits against polluting technologies and non-compliance with environmental assessment requirements, Sandov’s nomination is met with anticipation of support from civil society and partial fears of possible conflicts with big business. He was twice a Member of Parliament in the short terms of the 45th and 46th National Assemblies, elected from the list of “Democratic Bulgaria” in the capital’s 25th MIR. In the last parliament, he was also chairman of the standing parliamentary committee on environment and water. After the end of his term, he was the main actor for starting activities to protect the spill from nitrogen fertilizers from the ship “Vera Su”, stranded near the protected area of Kaliakra. Combining the two departments in one position was accepted by supporters of green ideas as a hesitant message to make climate change a horizontal priority for the cabinet (as discussed), but still an important responsibility of the relevant Minister of Ecology. Sandov has worked on climate change as part of his master’s degree, as well as at the level of policy development at the European Green Party. For the last 10 years he has been a member of the coordination group of the Bulgarian non-governmental “Climate Coalition”. He is a delegate of international non-governmental organizations in 6 summits of the UN panel on climate change (the so-called COP), the first of which in 2009. in Copenhagen. In the national government, climate policies have so far been limited to one directorate of the Ministry of Ecology, so this emphasis at the level of Deputy Prime Minister is a sign of the new coalition government to focus on the priorities of the European Green Deal. © Velko Angelov – Borislav Sandov in the 46th National Assembly At European level, climate policies explicitly require indicators for measures to adapt to climate change and meet the carbon neutrality targets in approved projects under all European programs. The condition is that the total amount for climate measures be 30% of European aid, and it is not specified how this percentage will be distributed in the various sectors affected – agriculture, energy, transport, construction, forests and others. The relevant Deputy Prime Minister Sandov will have to coordinate the work of all government units in these areas on the incorporation of climate measures. The Ministry of Environment and Water is responsible for a wide range of topics outside of climate policy and its management is a challenging task in which different interests collide (former Minister of Environment is the first incumbent Minister to be detained – Neno Dimov due to the water crisis in Pernik and the import of waste). The right to a healthy environment is guaranteed by the Constitution, and the Law on Environmental Protection defines its components – and respectively the “territory” of the department: air, atmosphere, water, soil, subsoil, landscape, natural sites, mineral diversity, biological diversity and its elements. I want every procedure that is in the regional inspectorate for environment and water to be in public registers, so that we can not understand some intentions as soon as the excavators come. – after presenting his nomination for Minister — Sandov has education in water management, as well as political experience at European level on clean air and genetically modified organisms. According to his business card, he has participated in non-governmental projects with expert analysis on river basins, pollinators, climate and nuclear energy. As a conservationist – both in campaigns for landscape protection (mountain protected areas and the Black Sea coast) and for biodiversity. © To save Karadere – Borislav Sandov at the cleaning of Karadere beach in October 2021, organized by the civil group “Let’s save Karadere”, a member of the coalition “For nature to remain in Bulgaria” He is the initiator of a lawsuit against polluting mines near Panagyurishte, which are expanding their activities without a proper environmental assessment. The case ended with a final conviction against the mines two months ago. The election of a minister is a request for a new orientation of the coalition government towards the “environment” department. Although the Ministry of Environment and Water (MoEW) is established in 1990 with a mission to “develop and implement state policy on environmental protection in the public interest”, his work has been marked by conflicts with civil society since the 1990s. Over the years, the resistance of environmentalists against the ministry has been mainly on topics such as permitting construction and pollution in protected areas in violation of rules, as well as principled demands for greater protection and compliance with environmental legislation and European norms. Ministers in governments since 1997 – whether on the right, the Simeon II National Movement, the Triple Coalition or GERB – have been sharply criticized for trampling on laws and damaging nature, including attempts to change plans to manage national and natural parks in order to expand areas for construction, prevention of pollution and damage in protected areas of the European network “Natura 2000” and others. The coalition of environmental organizations “For Nature to Remain” asked the negotiators for a coalition government a week ago as 15 long-term priorities, as well as a minister with “expertise in the topics on which the Ministry of Ecology has powers” and “proven contribution to environmental protection”. The arguments were the heavy legacy of 15 criminal proceedings by the European Commission in the environment sector, and long-standing problems “due to wrong policies in favor of lobbying interests or due to deliberately weakened capacity of the Ministry of Environment and Water (MoEW). “ Who is the future Prime Minister Kiril Petkov – read here. © Petko Tsvetkov, To keep nature in Bulgaria – Borislav Sandov at a protest on December 6, 2017 against the planning of new constructions in the Pirin National Park –
Who is Borislav Sandov
The Climate Department
The difficult Ministry of Environment and Water
Who is the Minister of Finance Asen Vassilev – here.
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