The Law relates mainly to the protection and use of surface inland waters, rather than the regulation of groundwater and coastal waters.2 Most of the provisions of the Water Law have a questionable legal validity, and subsequent legislation has not been fully consistent with it (UNECE, 2016). According to the Tax Code, charges for environmental pollution, including water pollution charges (introduced in 1993), were abolished. The Law on Licences and Permits radically reduced the number of activities that w'ere classified as environmentally sensitive and in need of special environmental permit to be issued by the environmental authorities.