Bulgaria creates national board to report monthly to parliament on water crisis

On 3 September 2025, the Bulgarian parliament adopted a Decision on urgent measures to overcome the nation’s current water crisis, which will lead to the creation of a National Water Board. Published in the State Gazette, issue 73/2025, the Decision paves the way for the final adoption of the new water and sewerage legal framework set out in the draft Law on water supply and sewerage, which was approved by the Council of Ministers on 23 July 2025 (see the Law-Now article here).

In the summer of 2025, Bulgaria underwent a severe water crisis. According to the Ministry of Environment and Water (MEW), 5% of the Bulgarian population was affected by disrupted water supply. Although the country's reservoirs are in good condition with a total capacity of 65.4%, drought and deteriorating infrastructure continue to impact water supplies. The measures taken by the government to overcome the crisis include the following:

Establishment of a National Water Board

The Bulgarian government is required to form a National Water Board within two weeks, which will coordinate actions to overcome the current water crisis and prevent similar situations in the future. The board will include representatives of the Ministry of Environment and Waters, Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Energy, Ministry of Agriculture and Food, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Economy and Industry, National Association of Municipalities in the Republic of Bulgaria and the Bulgarian Development Bank.

Monthly reports to parliament

The National Water Board will monitor the implementation of all measures in the Decision and report monthly to parliament to ensure parliamentary oversight and transparency.

Urgent measures and investment priorities

The Decision contains a broad package of specific measures, including:

• Urgent cleaning and rehabilitation of all water sources, reservoirs, and water pipes.
• Drilling of new water sources and laboratory control of water quality.
• Prioritisation of the 2025 investment programme with a focus on drinking water investment projects.
• Provision of additional financial resources through the Bulgarian Development Bank.
• Urgent measures for irrigation in coordination with the Ministry of Environment and Water.
• Review of applicable legislation and proposals for legislative changes to facilitate procedures for the construction of new water sources.
• Establishment of independent teams to carry out immediate checks on the unauthorised use of drinking water from the water supply network.

Impact

The Decision is an important step towards operational management of the water crisis. The creation of a National Water Board and monthly reports to parliament will ensure greater accountability, better coordination between institutions, and a clearer mechanism for monitoring the implementation of measures. The Decision is a first step towards finalising and passing the draft Law on water supply and sewage, badly needed long-term reform that recognises the need for the injection of private capital into the Bulgarian water sector.

For more information on reform of Bulgaria’s water supply sector, contact you CMS client partner or these CMS experts: Kostadin Sirleshtov, Borislava Piperkova. 

Pavel Chaveev contributed to this article.