The Environment and Water Affairs Ministry has started to prepare the development of a methodology, which will be used to make forecast calculations of the greenhouse gas emissions in Bulgaria for the years 2010, 2015 and 2020. Environment Ministry arranged a tender procedure for providing the forecast calculations so that the information can be presented to the European Commission (EC), the ministry said in a media statement on September 15.

The methodology development for the forecast calculations is also included in a draft proposal of the Environment Ministry as a part of an international project. The state is also analysing the experience of other new European Union member states, which already have gone through the same procedure.

The project is linked to an EC requirement under article 3, paragraph 2 of the Decision 2004/280/EU and the regulations of Decision 2005/166/EU.

Environment Ministry reminded everyone that on June 5 2007 it presented a national report on applying policies and measures for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and forecasts for the emissions until 2020. The EC's only criticism was that the information was not complete at the time, as no exact methodology was proposed on how the calculations will be made. Those are also requirements for monitoring greenhouse gasses and for applying the Kyoto Protocol. So far EC sent the first written warning to Bulgaria because the information in the 2007 report was not complete.

The ministry has presented the EC the chosen methodology and procedures will now be speeded to prevent  sanctions being imposed on Bulgaria, the ministry said.