The European Commission announced that it continues to monitor the air quality situation in Bulgaria and reminded that it has already taken decisive actions in the past. The EC initiated punitive proceedings against Bulgaria over the levels of fine particulate matter (PM10) and sulphur dioxide (SO2). In 2017, the Court of the European Union confirmed Bulgaria’s failure to protect its citizens from bad quality of air. In July 2019, the EC decided to refer Bulgaria to the Court of the EU for failing to respect the limit values of SO2. 

The problem with air quality in the big Bulgarian cities has escalated in the recent months. Traditionally, in the winter season the problem with bad air quality is bigger, because a large part of the population uses solid fuel for heating and many people drive old cars.