curriculum in natural environmental science, vol. 2, 2010NEAR

Public participation and market-based instruments for water protection

Case study: Survey of industrial enterprises in Bulgaria

Milkana Mochurova

Institute of Economics - Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia, Bulgaria

Contents

IWRM concept and selected policy instruments

Survey of industrial enterprises in Bulgariathe role of public participation market-based instruments

Proposals to national water resources policy

Integrated water resources management

The concept of integration:natural systemhuman system

The Water Framework Directive integrates economics into water management public participation

Requirements of WFD for public participation

Source: European Communities, 2003b

Location of the case study

Bulgaria in South East Europe

Survey of industrial enterprises

Methods– Focus group discussions, in-depth interviews - May 2005– Questionnaires - 92 companies, Sept. 2005 – Jan. 2006,

processed with SPSS

Topics– Awareness of the IWRM, WFD, Bulgarian legislation – Notions about participating in water management– Attitude towards MBIs

Respondents– Companies generating waste water, more than half of them – in

the manufacturing sector, have above 250 employees, ISO certified

Round table discussions and trainings of industrial enterprises

Trainings and study visit to Sofia waste water treatment plant

Trainers from Global Water Partnership Bulgaria and Solidarity Water Europe, France

Project funded by Phare programme and implemented by Centre for Comparative Studies

Selected resultsAre you familiar with the WFD?

Do you know that according to the WFD a RBMP will be developed?

Is it expedient to participate in the development of a long-term RBMP?

4145

13

1

notfamiliar

slightlyfamiliar

knowwell

knowvery well

I have some idea42%

not at all42%

I know well16%

39.8

37.5

22.7

0.0 5.0 10.0 15.0 20.0 25.0 30.0 35.0 40.0

not at all, we must solve current issues now

yes, to some extent, but we should thinkmore about the near future

yes, it is absolutely necessary andexpedient

22.4

64.5

10.5 10.5

We were notinformed

We were notinvited

It's useless toparticipate

We want, butwe were not

included

Does the company participate in any consulting body?

If not, why? %(multiple response)

Have you ever participated in partnership projects? Yes – 22.4% No – 77.6% Main obstacles to participation of the

industry in decision-making processes (multiple response)

If not, why?(multiple response)

no89.7%

yes10.3%

25.732.9

17.1

88.6

No suitablepartner

Lack ofexperts

Notinterested inparticipating

Lack ofinformation

Legislative problems 20.5%

Lack of information

67.5%Lack of f inancial

resources 43.4%

Lack of experts 13.3%

No contact w ith Basin Dir. 8.4%

Lack of action by Basin Dir.

15.7%

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Relationships: MBIs and information instruments (chi sq. test)

VariablesParticipation in

bas. councilTrain–ings

Degree of awareness

LegislationWFD

principlesRBMP

Charges for water abstraction

Charges for discharging waste water

Non-compliance fees for polluting above the limits ** **

Fines for infringing the legislation **

Tax concessions * * **Subsidies and soft loans *Prices of public water supply and sewerage services ** **

The level of statistical significance:*** < 0,01; ** < 0,05; *< 0,10

Summary and conclusions

Attitude of company managers• IWRM – problem: no long-term vision• circumventing regulations

Weak participation in consulting bodies, lack of partnerships

Ineffective economic incentives Challenges to IWRM implementation

• effective participation of all • reinforcement of MBIs• capacity building, networking

References Global Water Partnership (GWP), 2000, Technical Advisory Committee, Integrated Water

Resources Management, Stockholm, www.gwpforum.org

European Communities, 2003a, Common Implementation Strategy for the Water Framework

Directive (2000/60/EC) Guidance Document No 1, Economics and the environment – the

implementation challenge of the Water Framework Directive Working Group 2.6 WATECO

European Communities, 2003b, Common Implementation Strategy for the Water Framework

Directive (2000/60/EC) Guidance Document No 8, Public Participation in relation to the WFD

Lanz, K., S. Scheuer, 2001, EEB Handbook on EU Water Policy under the Water Framework

Directive, European Environmental Bureau, www.eeb.org

Mochurova, M. 2006. Implementation of EU Water Framework Directive in Bulgaria:

Industrial enterprises and public participation as a challenge to implement the EU Water

Framework Directive in Bulgaria, case #286. - Global Water Partnership ToolBox Integrated

Water Resources Management (IWRM), Stockholm, http://www.gwptoolbox.org.

Mochurova, M., Market-based instruments for the protection of water resources in Bulgaria,

Economic Studies Journal, 3/ 2008, p.112 – 147 (in Bulgarian with English summary)

National Statistical Institute of the Republic of Bulgaria, 2008, Environment 2006, Sofia