GI-BAS SIMONA, National Authorities, and Stakeholders WORKSHOP was held in Sofia, Bulgaria on October 10th, 2019. The Workshop was initiated and organized by the GI-BAS SIMONA team and took place at the Geological Institute at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. Experts from the Ministry of Environment and Water, the Executive Environment Agency, and the Danube Region Basin Directorate attended the Workshop.

The purpose of the event was to present the Harmonized Sampling and Laboratory Protocols and the design for the South Danube Sampling Test Area program. Suggestions and recommendations were made towards the protocols in regards to the number of sub-samples in a composite (5-10), the grain size fraction to be monitored (<63 µm), and for including TOC normalization of the analyses. The problems with suspended sediment sampling, volume, and difficulties for monitoring were recognized. The need for a preliminary geochemical study on the territory of Bulgaria was pointed out, as well as the necessity for acquiring data on sediment distribution across the DRB. Concerning the SDTA possible sampling sites for Bulgaria were proposed and discussed.