An Act to regulate the establishment and activities of Water Users Associations. These are voluntary organizations of natural and legal persons, which shall, in the interest of their members, perform activities related to irrigation and drainage of agricultural lands and the maintenance of irrigation and drainage structures on a specified territory. The Act consists of 79 sections divided into ten Chapters and additional and transitional provisions: General provisions (1); Establishment (2); Membership, membership rights and duties (3); Association bodies (4); Property, contributions, accounting, preferences (5); Relationship between Associations and water suppliers and water users who are not members of the Association (6); Restructuring, termination, liquidation (7); Supervision (8); Unions of associations (9); Administrative/penal provisions (10). A precise list of tasks of Associations can be found in section 3. They include activities related to irrigation and drainage but also fish-farming and waterfowl breeding. Associations shall operate under the supervision of the State, and in particular the Minister of Agriculture and Forests, who shall exercise "legal, financial and technical" supervision on the activities of the Associations (sects. 5 and 64). Associations shall be created by natural or legal persons who own agricultural land that is served by a single irrigation or drainage system (sect. 6). Sections 7 to 22 provide rules relative to the creation of Associations and related matters such as the content of Statutes (sect. 14). Membership of Associations shall be open to all owners and users of agricultural land on its territory (sect. 24). Section 27 sets out rights of members whereas section 28 defines their obligations. Chapter 4 provides for the organs of Associations, which include a General Meeting, a Management Board, and a Control Board. The Minister of Agriculture and Forestry shall create a Supervisory Body, the tasks of which are outlined in section 66.
Bulgarie · 2001-03-22