AFDJ Galati and APPD Ruse, as partners in FAST Danube project, organized the online meeting with the Bulgarian competent authorities on «SSCOs and immediate actions required» on 29th January 2021.
Participants: AFDJ Galati, APPD Ruse, Halcrow Romania SRL/ Jacobs, Jaspers/ EIB, MoEW – Natura 2000 directorate (BG), MoEW – EIA directorate (BG), MTITC (BG), GeoMarine Ltd. (BG).
The main topics on the meeting agenda were:
- Status of FAST Danube project;
- Status of Letter from Ministry of Environment and Water to the European Commission dated 16 December 2020 with a request for a meeting;
- Status of the development of SSCOs for the initial 13 and a total of 39 Bulgarian N2K Sites along the Danube, relevant for the FAST Danube project;
- Status of a letter to be sent to the Romanian Ministry of Environment requesting a description of the approach and methodology applied for developing SSCOs for the 22 Romanian N2K Sites located along Danube;
- EIA procedure, when developing AA for more than 11 N2K sites, screened in the response of MoEW to the notification and considered in the EIA Terms of Reference;
- Procedure for approval of the approach for developed SSCOs by DG Environment.
Some of the actions agreed during the meeting are mentioned below:
- GeoMarine Ltd. to produce updated EIA project schedule taking into consideration the new deadline -June 2022
- MoEW to be kept in the loop by Ministry of Transport and APPD for all important FAST Danube related aspects – communications and negotiations with INEA and DG Move and DG Environment.
- AFDJ and APPD to initiate official establishment of working group between MoEW and Romanian Ministry of Environment for the elaboration of the SSCOs of the 39 N2K sites in Bulgaria.
- Jacobs and GeoMarine to identify the municipalities where construction materials will be potential sourced and whether this action of material sourcing will affect additional N2K. If this is the case this should be immediately communicated to MoEW and to agree further procedure steps if needed.
- Ministry of Transport to contact and consult MRDPW for inclusion of the FAST Danube project in the regional and territorial development strategic documents.
- Ministry of Transport to schedule a meeting with Water Directorate and Danube River Basin Directorate to discuss if FAST Danube project was included in the new Danube Water Basin Management Plan.
