25 July 2008

National Assembly adopted the amendments to the Underground Natural Resources Act at its sitting on 25 July 2008. The changes envisage heavy sanctions for extraction and processing of underground natural resources without concessions. The fines are to reach the amount between BGN 50 000 and 100 000. For repeated violations the imposed sanction will be BGN 200 thousand to 300 thousand and for every consecutive one from BGN 400 thousand to 500 thousand. The fine for unauthorized geological research for underground resources will amount from BGN 5000 to 50 000. When due to mining activities, the obligations to preserve the underground have been violated, or unauthorized deposits of mining debris were performed the penalty will be either a fine of BGN 50 thousand to 500 thousand or confiscation of assets. When an entity that has permit for exploration and research or a concessionaire impede the control of state bodies of their activities or violate the rights given with the permit, a fine of BGN 5 to 10 thousand will be imposed.
The amendments provide for the withholding of the extracted natural resources, as well as the technical equipment and transportation vehicles used by the offenders.

Parliament ratified the Agreement between the governments of Bulgaria and Russia for cooperation in the building of a transit natural gas pipeline through the territory of Bulgaria.

During the parliamentary control time a discussion initiated by Ivan Kostov and addressed to PM Sergey Stanishev was held regarding the measures of the government to counter the price hike, curb the inflation and compensate the incomes in the country.