The project idea built upon the steps initiated in 2006-2007 against the discrimination practice of the local water supply company in the Sliven region. The Public Barometer Association – Sliven lodged a complaint against the local water supply company, which was registered as No. 67 by the Commission for protection against discrimination. The decision of the Commission of February 25, 2008 established existence of direct discrimination practiced by the management of the water supply company. This resulted in a series of relevant recommendations and prescriptions.

The general objective of the project was providing access to information and communication resources, legal advice and a just process for victims of one of the forms of price discrimination

Specific objectives of the project are:

1. Evidencing the inequitable treatment of consumers of water supply services in Sliven region in terms of price-formation

2. Enhancing civic competences concerning the level of rights and obligations of local authorities, state control bodies and the mechanisms for citizen participation and control

3. Establishment of an antidiscrimination (consumer) organization in the field of provision of water supply services.

Establishment of an effective model for consumer protection in the field of water supply services provided in the Sliven region incl.:

A. A transparency system

Currently there is no system to inform citizens about water supply services. Using the legal opportunities provided by the Law for access to public information in order to acquire complete information concerning water supply companies and regulators (incl.  requesting it through court). An E-platform for information dissemination was developed in the form of an Internet portal;

B. Innovation

For the first time on the territory of Bulgaria, citizen resources are mobilized on the problems of water supply services; no such practice existed either on the local or national level; a National Association of the Consumers of the public service drinking water supply (NAC of DWS) was established and registered in court in September 2010;

C. National scope

The project was launched on a local level, but it was concluded on the national level. The local community was involved in the solution of problems regarding drinking water supply (through seminars, round table discussions and working meetings). Local MPs were involved – queries to the company Principal, the Minister of Regional Development and Public Works. A national strategy was developed for solving problems in the provision of drinking water supply; development of a system for citizen control on the provision of this service and on the state bodies carrying out state control on the quality of the service;

D. International expertise

Selection of different EU management practices in the sphere of water supply services to be considered and/or followed;

E. Court cases

Currently in Bulgaria there is no court practice related to the establishment of direct discrimination in the provision of the domestic drinking water supply; we are not aware of such existing within the EU. This project promoted two court precedents of the Commission for protection against discrimination in Sofia related to direct discrimination established in the Sliven region in the sphere of water supply services. The project also introduced citizen control through providing access to information on the process of water supply based on the Law for access to public information; several analyses were conducted to reveal the financial, social and juridical aspects of the discrimination policy of the water supply companies in Bulgaria; Public Barometer Association – Sliven managed to initiate:

-         a collective claim damages in the court of Sliven;

-         two claims in the Commission for protection against discrimination; and

-         a claim for access to public information in the Administrative Court of Sofia.

Social effect

In addition to the direct violation of the civil and constitutional rights of Bulgarian citizens, the discrimination practiced by the management of the Sliven water supply company also causes direct property damages. This is the first project to review the social effect of direct discrimination in the sphere of water supply services. One of the underlying objectives of NAC of DWS is protection of the social approach in the provision of domestic drinking water supply – protection of the health, safety and economic interests of the consumers of the public service drinking water supply through prevention of the violation of their rights or restoration of violated rights, elimination and sanctioning of already existing discrimination practices and prevention of such; harmonization of the legislation connected with the public service drinking water supply with international and European standards as well as improvement of the regulation system regarding consumer rights in the sphere of drinking water supply, environmental and clean water protection.

There is no Association in Bulgaria aimed at achieving the above mentioned goals.

Contact information

Mr. Yurij Ivanov Ivanov

Chair of the Board of Trustees, [email protected]

Cell Phone: ++359 887 530 138

Alexander Stambolijski str., bl. 8 A, 19

8800 Sliven, Bulgaria