Bulgaria's National Audit Office has presented its audit of hazardous waste from January 2021 to December 2024 to the heads of the EU's supreme audit institutions in Paris, the office's press centre said.
Auditors showed the report at the annual meeting of the Contact Committee of these institutions and the European Court of Auditors. Margarita Nikolova, deputy chair of the National Audit Office, led the Bulgarian delegation.
Bulgaria ranks second in the EU after Finland for hazardous waste per person. Eurostat data for 2022 show 2,246 kg per person in Bulgaria, against an EU average of 266 kg. According to the National Statistical Institute, the total rose from 13.7 tonnes in 2021 to nearly 16 tonnes in 2023. Imports of hazardous waste for recovery rose by 41% in 2024 compared with 2021.
Five regions have no plants to dispose of hazardous waste: Blagoevgrad, Vidin, Gabrovo, Sliven and Smolyan. The audit says this puts the environment and public health at risk.
In 29% of towns with more than 10,000 residents, mayors have not provided sites where people can drop off hazardous household waste for free. Eight regional capitals also have no such sites: Veliko Tarnovo, Gabrovo, Lovech, Silistra, Smolyan, Sliven, Stara Zagora and Yambol. The other 20 regions have 57 such sites in total.
Auditors found that 42% of the violations by mayors involve illegal dumps and a failure to clean them up. The municipalities of Krivodol and Chepelare have not adopted a waste management programme.
Between 2021 and 2024, the European Commission opened 9 infringement procedures against Bulgaria over how it applies EU waste rules. Five have since been closed.
The report was adopted in April 2026. It assesses how the state manages hazardous waste and whether it meets its targets. The audit office sent it to the European Commission and INTOSAI. Nikolova said presenting it in Paris could help inform European decisions on waste management and the circular economy.
The National Audit Office made 7 recommendations to the environment minister, who must carry them out by 1 March 2027.