Only 94 out of 175 companies required to do so reported their verified carbon dioxide emissions for 2007 before the April 1 deadline to the Environmental Executive Agency (EEA) at the Ministry of Environment and Water Affairs (MOEW), Bulgarian Industrial Association (BIA) representative Dimitur Brankov told The Sofia Echo on April 2.

EEA, MOEW and BIA representatives met on April 1 to discuss the carbon dioxide quotas re-distribution, but given the late reports, the three bodies decided to wait on the firms to submit their filings. Bulgaria's biggest steel mill Kremikovtzi has not filed its data yet, but is expected to do so within days, Brankov said.

About 10 other companies, which do not have yet a MOEW permit for carbon dioxide emissions trade, have not submitted their 2007 reports either, but they are preparing them. Some companies that have permits for emissions trade have also been late in filing their data.

The carbon dioxide re-distribution could be done in two ways, Brankov said. The first option was to do so in accordance with the data reported for 2007 by the companies. The second alternative, which MOEW supported, is for it to be done according to the plan Bulgaria officially presented to the European Commission (EC).

The plan initially proposed that re-distribution was done within two periods: 2007 and 2008/2012 for about 67 million tones of carbon dioxide. EC however approved only about 42 million tones to be distributed.