In response to the European Commission's November 27 2008 announcement that it was sending warning letters to Bulgaria regarding two separate cases in which the country had failed to properly implement EC environmental laws, Bulgaria's Ministry of Environment and Water Affairs responded later the same day that it had prepared "concrete measures for better protection" of birds in Kaliakra and that procedures were underway to establish an adequate household waste management system in Sofia.

These two issues were the topics of the warning EC's letters, with the document regarding Bulgaria's creation of a waste management centre being the second-such letter that the country had received. The one regarding wild birds was the first on the topic.

The ministry reminded that Environment Minister Djevdet Chakurov had, on November 23, issued an order forbidding construction at Kaliakra , on the northern Black Sea coast, for a year or until the Natura 2000 regulations to protect native bird species at the Complex Kaliakra zone came into effect. Natura 2000 is an ecological network of protected areas in the territory of the European Union.
 
In addition, the ministry said, it was holding consultations with society and business in relation to future orders to further restrict construction at the Natura 2000 zones Complex Kaliakra, Dourankoulashko Ezero and Shabla.

Also being prepared was a methodical study to evaluate the cumulative effect of construction activity on the environment in Natura 2000 zones. Along with that, a map of bird migratory routes was being created, so as to identify the places ill-suited to erecting wind turbines.

According to the Ministry of Environment and Water Affairs, Bulgaria's measures to fulfil EC requirements had been presented at the annual meeting in Strasbourg of the permanent commission of the Berne Convention, which ended today. Implementation of the convention, with a focus on the bird migratory route Via Pontica, had been one of the main agenda items at the meeting, according to the Council of Europe's website.

As to the much-needed waste management system for Sofia, the ministry said that it would present information of "at what step were the procedures for the project of the integrated waste management system for capital city rubbish". The findings of a working group - "very active as of recent" - for the problem would also be presented.

The resolution of the waste management problem, however, also depended on Sofia municipality getting its act together, the ministry wrote, particularly as concerns the location of the waste treatement facility and finding a company to manage it.

In response to criticism of its slowness in presenting initial decisions on birds habitats, the ministry said, it would prove that it had already presented the decisions in October 2008.

In response to EC criticism on Bulgaria's slowness in dealing with mining waste, the ministry said that it would inform the commission that it was in the final steps of preparing an order, which would then be presented to Parliament for acceptance.

An hour after sending out the initial press statement, the minstry sent another statement in which is said, quoting Deputy Environment Minister Chavdar Georgiev, that there was no danger of the European Commission imposing sanctions on Bulgaria due to its failure in the environmental sphere.