Sofia should continue to develop as a green and innovative city, with investments to renovate and rehabilitate the city

It is important that the development of Sofia and the investments for renovation and rehabilitation of the city continue. Development of a green and innovative city which has been a priority in our work in recent years, and preservation of the beauty of the city – the natural assets, the wealth of landscape features and the view to Vitosha Mountain. This is what the mayor of Sofia, Yordanka Fandakova, said at her traditional meeting with the various representatives of the Diplomatic Corps in Bulgaria at the end of the calendar year.
The mayor of Sofia, Yordanka Fandakova, thanked the diplomatic representative offices at the meeting for the joint projects and partnerships realized with the municipality, presented the priorities in the work of the municipality for development of the city and the challenges for 2018.
Sofia Municipality has set up a Municipal Investment Agency aiming to assist foreign investors in Sofia. It is essential that Sofia develop as a green city and this requires a serious change of some construction regulations, which is why we have prepared and tabled a bill for amendment of Sofia Municipality's Spacial Planning and Construction Act, which is read at the National Assembly, Mayor Fandakova pointed out. The proposals aim at introducing strict procedures in construction, removing the opportunity of unlimited building height, which is important in order to preserve the view to the Vitosha Mountain.
Clean air is the greatest challenge in our work, the mayor of Sofia said. The projects we are implementing are focused on this priority – investments in environment-friendly urban transport, extension of the metro, reconstruction of streets and boulevards, waste management, development of the green system, energy efficiency. The city's green system is a great asset and we continue to develop it with restoration, rehabilitation and new construction of parks. One of our projects is the planting of the new Sofia forest, Mayor Fandakova said.
How clean the air is depends on each and every one of us, so it is important to provide information. Starting today, 14 December 2017, Sofia Municipality’s website will publish estimates about the fine dust particles two days ahead. We are working with the government, we have the support of the Ministry of Environment and Water, and I expect to have results in this sphere too, the mayor of Sofia stated.
Mayor Fandakova also pointed out that the work in education and culture will continue. In recent years, we have managed to overcome the kindergarten-placing problem, by building 90 new kindergartens.
We will continue to invest in these areas next year. I hope that we will realize many cultural projects, useful for the citizens. Experience has been gained in this field while working on joint projects.
The mayor of Sofia also pointed out that Bulgaria will in less than a month hold the official Presidency of the Council of the EU, and Sofia will be the natural host of the summits. This is an exceptional opportunity for us to show our city, its development potential. Sofia has its own cultural programme complementing that of the Ministry of Culture, which will present the rich history of Sofia.
Sofia will be in the focus of European attention in 2018 as a host of a number of significant public events. As the European Capital of Sports, Sofia will host, organize and partner with many sporting initiatives and their related events to stimulate mass sport and active lifestyle.