Representatives of business and consumer organizations presented at a press conference on March 17, 2026 problems in the extended producer responsibility (EPR) systems and the introduction of the deposit system for beverage packaging. The occasion for the press conference was the working discussion "Transparency in Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR)" held on March 10, 2026, which clearly outlined a number of serious challenges for business, arising from the lack of transparency, predictability and effective dialogue in the formation of state policy for sustainable environmental management and EPR in a number of industries.
The press conference was attended by: the President of the Bulgarian Industrial Association (BIA) Dobri Mitrev, the Chairman of the Bulgarian Photovoltaic Association (BPA) Meglena Rusinova, the Chairman of the Association for Production, Storage and Trade of Electricity (APSTE) Nikola Gazdov, the Secretary General of the Association of Household Appliance Manufacturers in Bulgaria ( APPLiA Bulgaria) Gabriela Chiflichka , the Executive Director of the Union of Brewers in Bulgaria (UBB) Ivana Radomirova and the Chairman of "Active Consumers" Bogomil Nikolov.
They expressed the joint position of a total of 15 organizations, which on March 12 this year issued an open letter to the Prime Minister, the relevant ministers and the media. In addition to the organizations listed so far, the letter was also signed by: the Association of Automobile Importers, the Association of Soft Drinks Producers in Bulgaria, the Association of the Recycling Industry, the Polymers Industry Association, the Bulgarian Circular Textile Association, the Bulgarian Electrical and Electronics Association, the Bulgarian Metallurgical Industry Association, the Association for Modern Trade and the Union of International Carriers.
According to business representatives, the ERP system is managed in a non-transparent and inefficient manner, there is a lack of clarity regarding the manner in which the collected royalties are formed and spent, and the existing vicious practices in the system lead to an unjustified increase in product fees, which reflects on the final value of the goods, respectively - increases the prices paid by consumers .
During the press conference, data on the amount of product taxes in other European countries were presented, from which it is clear that taxes in Bulgaria are 3 to 9 times higher than the average in the European Union.
According to BIA President Dobri Mitrev, such environment not only harms business – it undermines the trust in circular economy and ecological transition policies. He emphasized that recently there has been a significant increase in product taxes in a number of areas: in electrical and electronic equipment, motor vehicles, batteries and accumulators, solar panels and other products. These increases are inevitably passed on to the price of goods and services and, ultimately, are paid by Bulgarian consumers . Even more worryingly, a number of market participants are reporting practices that raise doubts about limited competition, non-transparent procedures and even prerequisites for corruption pressure.
Business and consumer organizations are calling for:
- A temporary moratorium on the increase in product fees until an objective analysis of the costs and efficiency of the system is conducted;
- Increasing competition by issuing permits for new recovery organizations;
- A clear methodology for determining fees and full transparency in the formation and spending of funds in extended producer responsibility systems;
- Transparency in the work of the commissions that issue permits and licenses, with the participation of business and line ministries.
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WHAT IS THE PRODUCT FEE?
The product fee applies the "polluter pays" principle and is collected from those placing waste on the market (manufacturers and importers). The aim is to cover the costs of environmentally sound waste management of the relevant products (electrical appliances, machinery and equipment, computers, lighting equipment, medical devices, photovoltaic panels, children's toys, sports equipment, cars, etc. ) .
WHO ARE PRODUCT TAXES PAID TO?
The manufacturer or importer of the relevant product pays the product fee to one of the licensed waste recovery organizations or to the State Enterprise for Management of Environmental Protection Activities (PEPA).
HOW IS THE AMOUNT OF THE PRODUCT FEE DETERMINED?
Since the summer of 2025, product taxes have been increased by 700 to 1,000 percent, without any real justification for such a price increase. This naturally affected the prices of goods, since the product tax is part of their cost.
The amount of the product fee depends on the type and weight of the product, usually ranging from a few cents to a few leva per kilogram. Accordingly, the larger (heavier) a product is, the higher the product fee charged in its price.
