Parliament is debating changes to the waste management law in a second reading today. The changes were put forward by Bozhidar Bozhanov and a group of MPs. At the start of the sitting, MPs voted to change the agenda.

This story follows our earlier report on the parliamentary environment and water committee's backing for the changes, which MPs passed at first reading on 2 September.

The legislative agenda has two items. The first is the second reading of an amendment to the Railway Transport Act, which would make the Railway Administration Executive Agency the registration body for rail transport in Bulgaria. The second is the waste law. MPs will debate both until they vote on them.

Parliamentary scrutiny follows and lasts until all of today's questions to ministers have been answered. Dimitar Stoyanov, Georgi Valchev, Ivan Shishkov and Rositsa Karamfilova will answer. Deputy speaker Ivan Angelov chairs the sitting.

Yordan Ivanov of Democratic Bulgaria (DB) asked for DB's draft decision on an inter-agency unit under the Council of Ministers' Security Council to be debated before the recess. He said the security crisis in the Black Sea is getting worse. Ivanov proposed sending the draft to a committee, letting the chamber take a break while the committee meets, and then returning the document to the plenary hall.

Parliament goes on recess because of the coming presidential election. Angelov said the rules give three days to refer a proposal to a committee.

Updated (16.10, 15:01): Parliament has passed amendments to the Waste Management Act at second reading. The bank guarantees that waste recovery organisations must hold are cut by half: for packaging from 1m leva to €250,000, for used oils, shoes and textiles from 500,000 leva to €125,000, and for batteries, accumulators and tyres from 100,000 leva to €25,000. Those who meet their obligations on their own must provide a guarantee of €50,000 and cover a population of 350,000 residents. MPs rejected proposals from Democratic Bulgaria to switch to a registration system and to scrap the product fee on motor vehicles. The changes take effect once they are published in the State Gazette.