Translation from Bulgarian

AN ECO-GUILLOTINE IS HANGING OVER
SMALL AND LARGE COMPANIES

EUROPE WENT ALONG THAT ROUTE IN AN EVOLUTIONAL WAY,
WE OUGHT TO ACT IN A REVOLUTIONARY WAY,
BUT REVOLUTIONS COST DEARLY

Business needs not a formal, but an actually working system for environment control. The State must support us by creating conditions for granting long-term no-interest or low-interest credits, gratuitous financial aid, taxation allowances etc., Mr. Nikolay Kolev, Executive Director of Plena Bulgaria, said.

* * *

REVOLUTIONS BRING BENEFIT TO NO ONE

We need time, understanding and support by the State, says Nikolay Kolev, Executive Director of Plena Bulgaria

>Mr. Kolev, what kind of difficulties and challenges do you encounter as producers of lime and lime products in terms of meeting the ecological requirements?

- It’s been at least five years since people started talking about the challenges to be encountered by companies in the process of observing the European criteria for protecting the environment. Our legislation in the field of ecology has been brought in unison with the one of the EU, but it is only now that our business culture is being formed. Over the last few years we all witnessed the way the country was studded with craters of non-regulated extraction of borrow materials. This must be ended and to this effect the stricter ecological norms have a beneficial influence on the orderly participants in the industry. The question about abiding by the ecological requirements, though, is above all a question of substantial expenses and investment and this is what the problem actually is.

>What funds are necessary for the fulfillment of the ecological requirements?

- I have taken part in many round-table talks and discussions focusing on the costs businesses have to pay in order to cover the European requirements in respect of the environment, but I think that it was only last year that we got a realistic picture about this. These huge investments burden us immensely. The State must support us by creating conditions for granting long-term no-interest and low-interest credits, gratuitous financial aid, taxation allowances etc.

>What is the practice of the European companies of your industry?

- Plena Bulgaria is a member of The European Federation of Lime Producers and we have been discussing these topics with our colleagues for years. Excluding the Scandinavian countries and Germany, where the measures for protecting the environment can be seen fulfilled 110 % , in the rest of the countries, especially our neighbors and the countries to the south of Europe, the situation is quite variegated. Both the State and the businesses should try to have a sensible approach. “Revolutions” will bring benefit to nobody. Business needs not a formal, but an actually working system for environmental control. But this needs time, understanding and support by the State.

(An extract from Tanya Gavrilova’s interview,
Pari newspaper No. 7 (4112) /11.01.2007)

English translation by: Peter Georgiev
peter@georgiev.biz